Recycling

Recycling is a big cultural matter in Sweden. Today we recycle 1/3 of all waste, but we need to do better - and we can! It’s easy and free - let’s do it together!

Does your apartment building have its own recycling station?

In Swedish, “soprum” or “miljöstuga” are common names for a smaller communal recycling stations. If you live in an apartment you might have an area within your block where you can leave your combustible waste, food waste, packaging and magazines.

Make sure you read the signs so the waste gets sorted properly and always put the waste inside the bins, never on the ground.

Visit a unmanned recycling station – for recycling packaging & magazines

A packaging need to be empty to be recycled. You do not need to clean it or rinse it out, just make sure you use all the food inside before recycling.

Around Uppsala you will find around 20 stations where you can leave old magazines and packaging to be recycled. These stations are all around and it’s always free to leave your recycling there. 

Here you can recycle any magazine or packaging made of metal, plastic, paper or glass.

These stations are always open, but are not staffed.

Always put the recycling inside the containers, never in front or around as it’s consider littering. If the container is full, come back another day. 

Find your local one here External link, opens in new window. 

Learn more on FTI´s website (in english) External link, opens in new window.

Återvinningscentral (ÅVC) – for all types of waste 

In the city of Uppsala we have three large recycling centrals, cared for and manned by Uppsala Vatten (that’s us!). Within Uppsala municipality there are eight of them. You can leave almost all types waste here, as well as things that you want to be reused (“Återbrukade”) like tables, books, lamps. Read more about reuse and second hand stores. 

At ÅVC you can recycle: Batteries, clothes and fabrics, broken furniture, garden waste, light bulbs and fluorescent lights, tires, broken electrical goods, cooking oil, paint, broken plates and drinking glass, and many other things.

This is where you find them (map) External link, opens in new window. 

All the ÅVC is staffed and have specific opening hours ("Stängt" means closed):

Opening hours for all eight recycling centrals (in swedish)

What is "Pant"?

In Sweden we have a recycling deposit system based on having small deposits on bottles and cans. By returning your bottles/cans and “panta” them at the local supermarket we get great recycling of bottles and cans which saves large amounts of energy and resources. The amount of 1-2 kr per bottle might seem like a small amount, but when you start collecting them you can get quite a bit of money in the end. 

Read more about our recycling deposit system (in english) External link, opens in new window.