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EXPLAINED

What applies to new bins and packaging collection?

Environment all Stockholm
Current status
Collection must be introduced by 1 January 2027
  • Stockholm Vatten och Avfall says collection of plastic, paper, glass and metal packaging must be introduced for residents at the property by 1 January 2027. The property owner is responsible for arranging it. 1
Sources checked 2026-10-25. This text is AI-generated from the municipal sources below and may be revised.

What the city has decided

  • The company’s March response records that Avfallsnämnden decided on 13 June 2024 to use two-compartment bins for one- and two-dwelling houses. For apartment buildings, the response describes a service concession with participating contractors. 1
  • On 19 May 2026, the Environment and Health Protection Committee approved the administration’s response to a submission about older inner-city properties. The administration describes opportunities, subject to conditions, to agree alternative collection arrangements with property owners. 1

What remains uncertain

  • The decision on a two-compartment bin system does not establish that implementation is complete citywide. The reviewed sources do not give a current, complete picture of rollout or the arrangement for every property. 1 2
  • An alternative collection point is not a general exemption from the collection requirement. The administration’s response describes specific conditions and agreements; arrangements for an individual property need assessment against those conditions. 1
  • The administration’s May report describes criteria for apartment-building properties needing to leave waste outside their own property: shortage of indoor space, shortage of outdoor space and unreasonable financial burden. Heritage classification is also taken into account. The report describes an agreed location and does not establish that any particular property has obtained such an arrangement. 1
  • Notes from the Disability Council’s meeting with committee presidiums raise accessibility in the new collection system. The presidiums state that people should not have to apply for home care to dispose of waste and take the issue forward for further handling. The notes do not establish that a solution has already been implemented. 1

Why is this happening?

The company’s March report describes collection in areas including the dense inner city and Gamla stan as potentially expensive or very difficult to arrange. In the committee’s May minutes, the Centre Party specifically raised difficulties involving cramped courtyards, small waste rooms and heritage buildings. 1 2

What happens next?

The property owner needs to arrange collection so it is introduced by 1 January 2027. SVOA’s page lists approved contractors and information about alternative locations; residents can ask their landlord or housing association about their property’s arrangements. 1

DECISION TRAIL

How the issue has been handled

Agenda items tracked by Kortfattat since 2026, in chronological order.

  1. 2026-03-26
    Agenda · Stockholm Avfall AB

    New waste bins in Stockholm: how property-close collection will work

    Stockholm Vatten och Avfall has responded to questions from Anna Cederschiöld (M) and Inga Osbjer (L) regarding the implementation of new property-adjacent packaging waste collection in Stockholm. The company explained that they have investigated various systems, including two-compartment bins for single-family homes and existing contractors for apartment buildings, acknowledging the challenges of implementing comprehensive property-adjacent collection in the city's dense urban environment. They clarified that the municipality cannot apply for exemptions from the property-adjacent collection requirement, but exceptions exist allowing waste collection at a nearby location if obstacles are present, with criteria being developed for agreements on alternative collection points. Politicians are concerned that the new legislation, if not adapted to Stockholm's unique conditions, may lead to reduced accessibility and increased costs.

  2. 2026-05-19
    Minutes · Miljö- och hälsoskyddsnämnden

    Waste Collection Solutions for Older Inner-City Buildings

    The Environmental and Health Protection Committee approved the administration's response regarding property-proximal waste collection in older inner-city properties. The response clarified that general exemptions cannot be mandated, but Stockholm Vatten och Avfall (SVOA) has established criteria for alternative solutions in cases of limited space, unreasonable economic burden, or historical classification. The committee will continue to closely monitor the implementation, particularly the application of these criteria and the sufficiency of information provided to property owners.

  3. 2026-09-29
    Agenda · Fastighetsnämnden

    Disability Council discusses accessible packaging collection from 2027

    The Disability Issues Council provides information about the upcoming property-based collection of packaging from 1 January 2027 and discusses how waste management should work for people with disabilities. Property owners are responsible for the solutions, while Stockholm Vatten och Avfall organises collection and the Environmental Administration provides oversight; the city is also working on exemptions and alternatives where waste rooms or containers cannot be accommodated. The presidiums emphasise that no one should have to apply for home care services or pay extra to dispose of their waste, and the issue will be followed up with a focus on accessibility.

  4. 2026-09-29
    Agenda · Miljö- och hälsoskyddsnämnden

    Accessible packaging collection for people with disabilities from 2027

    The matter concerns reporting the minutes and notes from the meeting of the Disability Council. The meeting discussed, among other things, how the new property-based collection of packaging from 2027 will work for people with disabilities; property owners are responsible for the solutions, while Stockholm Vatten och Avfall has a central role, and the city will continue working on accessible alternatives where collection at the property is not possible.

  5. 2026-10-20
    Minutes · Familjebostäder, AB

    Environment Unit reports on waste collection and company work

    The head of the Environment Unit reported on the company’s work to collect waste near properties. The communications director spoke about marketing, and the CEO about efforts to increase net operating income; no decision or outcome was stated.

SOURCES

Check the information

  1. Packaging collection – Stockholm Water and Waste Checked 2026-10-25