While Sweden overall is very environmentally conscious, specific recycling and garbage collection practises vary by the kommun. Some areas are pioneering extensive recycling whereas others are still collecting jumbled ‘waste’. Also, different buildings will have different facilities for waste collection so ask for instructions about how the systems work for your building when you are shown around the apartment or when you move in.

There will normally be a big bin (often with a chute into it) for normal household rubbish (sop) – food waste and so on. Most of this waste is burnt and used to help create energy for heating houses. This means you should not include anything in the garbage which cannot be burnt. Landfill is less of an issue in Sweden than in many countries. In the more pioneering areas, compostable material must be separated from other material – so packaging should not be included within food waste (matavfall).

There will probably also be a separate area for ‘dry’ (i.e. won’t decompose), awkward sized waste – large packaging items, electronic goods, furniture – which will be emptied less frequently. If you have no such place within the building, you will need to get this waste to a local recycling centre yourself. For very large and awkward items, contact your kommun for advice.

Many collect recyclable paper on a weekly or fortnightly basis – you will be instructed where to leave paper for collection – or provide local recycle stations for paper. Not all paper can be recycled so check that you know which types are welcome and which not. There are likely to be separate containers for non-recyclable paper such as cardboard packaging.

Most also have banks for recycling glass bottles and jars (glasförpackningar), batteries and clothing (kläder/textil) and waste disposal containers for hazardous or oil-based liquids which should not be put into the drains (färligt avfall).

Cans and plastic drinks containers have a PANT  on them – a deposit – so you can get your money back once you have enough to round up to whole kronor. Supermarkets are the easiest way of recycling them – virtually all have bins available for posting your containers into.

In addition to the recycling centres mentioned above, there may also be mobile recycling centres. For example, Stockholm city centre has a recycling boat that moves around the town giving people an opportunity to drop off their recycling at a point close to them. Again, contact your local kommun to find out more.

For more information (in Swedish) on recycling, check out the Stockholm city guide (www.stockholm.se). This has specific information for Stockholmers but is also useful as a more general guide on what can be recycled and how garbage should be categorised.