Earth Science News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
'Queen of Trash' in dock in Sweden's biggest toxic waste scandal
'Queen of Trash' in dock in Sweden's biggest toxic waste scandal
By Pia OHLIN
Stockholm (AFP) Sept 3, 2024

Eleven people went on trial in Sweden on Tuesday, accused of illegally dumping toxic waste in the country's biggest-ever environmental crime case.

A once-acclaimed waste management company is accused of dumping or burying some 200,000 tonnes of waste from the Stockholm area at 21 sites, with no intention of processing it correctly.

Among those charged with "aggravated environmental crime" is its former chief executive Bella Nilsson, an ex-stripper who once called herself the "Queen of Trash".

She was the last of the accused to arrive at the courthouse in northern Stockholm as the trial, which is expected to last until May, opened on Tuesday morning.

Wearing big dark sunglasses, Nilsson refused to answer questions as she shoved away reporters' microphones.

High levels of PCBs, lead, mercury, arsenic and other chemicals were released into the air, soil and water, prosecutors said, endangering the "health of humans, animals and plant life".

They say the now-bankrupt NMT Think Pink "collected waste with no intention or ability to handle it in line with environmental legislation."

The waste consisted of everything from building materials to electronics, metals, plastics, wood, tyres and toys.

Think Pink left the piles "unsorted" and abandoned, according to the charge sheet.

Nilsson's ex-husband Thomas, the company's founder, and Leif Ivan Karlsson, an eccentric entrepreneur who starred in a reality show about his over-the-top lifestyle, are also among those indicted, along with "waste broker" Robert Silversten.

An environmental consultant who helped the company pass inspections, Magnus Karlsson, has been charged as an accessory.

All 11 accused have denied committing any crime.

In its heyday from 2018 to 2020, the company's fuschia-coloured construction waste sacks could be seen on many a Stockholm sidewalk, and the company twice won a prestigious Swedish business prize.

- Burning dumps -

Think Pink was hired by municipalities, construction companies, apartment co-ops and private individuals to recycle and dispose of building waste.

But the business came crashing down in 2020 when its owners were arrested.

Bella Nilsson -- who has now changed her name to Fariba Vancor -- has previously told Swedish media that the company acted in line with the law, and insisted she is the victim of a plot by business rivals.

"She has an explanation for all of this," her lawyer Jan Tibbling told the Dagens Nyheter daily on Monday.

Considered Sweden's largest environmental crime case, the police investigation runs to more than 45,000 pages, with 150 witnesses due to testify.

One prosecutor, Linda Schon, told Dagens Nyheter that they had to limit the charges to 21 sites because they were running out of time.

"There may have been a number of sites we haven't been able to investigate," but "we believe that 21 sites is enough to show that the crimes were systematic," she said.

Several municipalities have sought damages for clean-up and decontamination costs, totalling 260 million kronor ($25.4 million).

One of the biggest claims is from the Botkyrka council, where two Think Pink waste piles burned for months in 2020 and 2021 after spontaneously combusting. One was near two nature reserves.

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Greek port city in a state of emergency over flood of dead fish
Athens (AFP) Aug 31, 2024
The port city of Volos in central Greece declared a state emergency following an inundation of dead fish that local residents say could threaten their livelihoods, the state news agency announced Saturday. The month-long emergency declaration issued by the climate ministry's secretary general of civil protection, Vassilis Papageorgiou, will inject funding and resources to speed up the cleaning of the Pagasetic Gulf port where tons of dead fish have piled up along the coast and in rivers, according t ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
China school bus crashes into crowd, kills 11 including students

Digicel Pacific Enhances Tonga Disaster Recovery with SES Satellite Services

ICEYE and Aon broaden partnership with global flood and US wildfire data agreement

Japan to resume trial removal of Fukushima debris

FROTH AND BUBBLE
New category of electrolytes discovered: glass-forming liquid electrolytes

3D imaging technology unlocks new insights in plastic waste recycling

Engineers smash rocks to gain new insights into rapid compaction of granular materials

Salsa Satellite's reentry to be observed live from the sky

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Making desalination more efficient, by way of renewable energy

Satellites enable accurate monitoring of groundwater use with OPENet

New Zealand's Maori anoint new queen, bury late king

Under US pressure, Mexico probes loggerhead sea turtle deaths

FROTH AND BUBBLE
India launches flood warning systems at Himalayan glacial lakes

Researchers explore cloud dynamics in the Arctic to enhance climate models

NASA begins monitoring polar heat emissions in far-infrared spectrum

Finland's Lapland sees warmest summer on record

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Andean 'Viagra': Peru seizes hundreds of frogs used as aphrodisiacs

US bat decline triggered pesticide surge, 1,300 baby deaths: study

China to launch anti-dumping probes into Canadian canola, chemicals

EU urged to better target mammoth farming subsidies

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Super Typhoon Yagi threatens southern China

Floodbase's Enhanced Flood Mapping Technique surpasses NOAA's accuracy

More than 560,000 affected by 'unprecedented' Yemen floods: UN

Tropical storm triggers landslides in Philippines; One dead as storms hit Australia's southeast

FROTH AND BUBBLE
UN's Guterres says 'injustices' against Africa must be corrected

China's Xi promises $50 billion for Africa over next three years

China's Xi promises $50 billion for Africa over next three years

Nigeria's Lagos turns to waterways for green transport solution

FROTH AND BUBBLE
New model sheds light on human dispersal phases across Europe

Pope appeals for religious unity at stadium mass in Indonesia

Islands play a key role in fostering language diversity

Two-day curfew for Iraq's first census in decades

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.