Updated 19.52 | Published 19.16
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full screen Burning leaves and branches in the garden is no longer permitted, unless the municipality has granted an exception. Archive image. Photo: Martina Holmberg/TT
Less smoke around the house plots – but also more drivers with old leaves and branches in their luggage. In practice, burning your garden waste is not allowed, according to new regulations.
– We expect that more people will start composting, says Milla Sundström at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
This time of year, the smoke usually spreads from gardens when old branches and leaves become a bonfire. But according to new regulations that apply from January 1 this year, it is no longer allowed to burn that kind of waste in the garden.
Instead, the waste must be composted either directly on the site or left to the municipality.
– It’s about the waste being put to good use by making use of the nutrients, says Milla Sundström.
For those who have a long way to a recycling centre, there is, however, the possibility of getting an exception. The municipalities decide whether there are reasons for this based on, among other things, the distance to recycling and how densely built up the area is.
Fire a popular tradition
– This could be, for example, if you live on an island and it is not reasonable to transport the waste to land. But it doesn’t have to be so extreme to be able to grant exceptions, says Sundström.
Opinions about the new rules seem to differ among private individuals with whom the authority has been in contact.
– Some think it is nice to avoid the neighbour’s smoke, others that it is not environmentally right to transport the waste long distances, but it is perhaps in those cases that the municipality should grant exceptions, says Milla Sundström.
Making a fire in the grounds can also be a tradition you want to stick to, she adds.
– People think that “it’s clear we’re going to get fire, we’ve always done that”.
May bonfire
Already today, there are certain restrictions around the fire, which are mainly about limiting smoke for health reasons. How the rules look can differ between municipalities and will continue to be so, notes Milla Sundström. Anyone who wonders what applies is asked to contact the municipality.
What then applies before the upcoming Valborg Fair evening? According to Sundström, it is possible to get a dispensation for a bonfire on a single occasion just for such holidays.
– Even then you can contact the municipality.
FACT This counts as garden waste
This applies above all to leaves, plant parts and grass clippings that come from tending the garden. Stumps and woody waste such as branches are also classified as garden waste.
Wood, on the other hand, is not covered by the regulations.
The new regulations are part of the EU’s waste directive.
Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
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