Environmental Services

If your business uses drinking water for cooking and beverages from a private drinking water facility (for example, your own well), you must ensure that the drinking water meets the Swedish Food Agency's quality requirements (LIVSFS 2022:12). The facility must be reported to the municipality at least 14 days before it starts being used.The person responsible for the drinking water facility is responsible for ensuring that the water is safe and that samples are taken. The municipality checks that you comply with drinking water regulations, establishes testing programs and charges a fee for registration and ongoing control.

Issued by: The Municipality

Cafés, restaurants, and other premises where food is prepared discharge large amounts of grease with wastewater. The grease sticks to drainage pipes and causes blockages, which can lead to flooding and complicate treatment at wastewater treatment plants.According to municipal regulations for water and sewage (ABVA), grease in large quantities may not be discharged into sewer lines. Therefore, most businesses that handle or produce food must have a grease separator or equivalent device. The property owner is responsible for ensuring that grease is not discharged into the sewer. A grease separator functions as a filter at the drain and collects the grease. The collected grease is classified as municipal waste and must be managed by the municipality or a waste contractor with a municipal contract.

Issued by: The Municipality

If your business produces, transports, collects, or treats waste, you must register with or notify the relevant County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen). Hazardous waste requires additional record-keeping and reporting to the national waste register at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket). Transporters of hazardous waste need a separate transport permit from the County Administrative Board.You are responsible for sorting waste at source and ensuring it reaches authorized treatment facilities. Businesses generating more than minor amounts of hazardous waste must file annual reports. Each municipality sets local rules for commercial waste collection, so contact your municipality early to confirm which arrangements and fees apply to your operation.

Issued by: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency/Municipality/County Administrative Board

A Class C activity is an environmentally hazardous activity that can be expected to have limited environmental impact and requires notification to the municipal supervisory authority. Examples of Class C activities include laundries, waste operations, vehicle painting, vehicle washes, food production facilities, handling of chemicals or wood products, farms with animal husbandry, and plastic product manufacturing.Notification must be made well in advance before the activity starts, at least six weeks before starting. The municipality's environmental committee is the supervisory authority and checks that the activity complies with the Environmental Code requirements. You must have a written self-monitoring program describing how you ensure the activity meets all requirements.

Issued by: The Municipality

To obtain a user permit for biocidal products class 1, you must demonstrate that you have the special knowledge required to handle the product safely. The permit must also cover the specific use for which the product is approved according to the Ordinance (2014:425) on Pesticides (Förordningen om bekämpningsmedel).If you have foreign qualifications in biocides from another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can have your qualifications assessed by the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket). Note that use of biocides against pests in residential buildings and premises accessible to the public requires a permit from the Public Health Agency instead.

Issued by: Swedish Work Environment Authority

Anyone who installs, services, maintains, repairs, or decommissions equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in Sweden must hold a personal F-gas certificate. This applies to work on stationary refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump equipment, as well as fire protection systems and electrical switchgear. Certification requires passing a written exam at INCERT, and companies performing F-gas work must also be certified.

Issued by: Swedac and Certification Bodies

Those who conduct professional activities where hazardous waste occurs must keep records for each type of hazardous waste and digitally report this information to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's (Naturvårdsverket) waste register. This is a statutory obligation under the waste ordinance (avfallsförordningen).Reporting can be done via API or e-services on Naturvårdsverket's website. Information on the treatment of hazardous waste is reported quarterly, while other information must be submitted within two working days from the date when the record should be made at the latest.

Issued by: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Producer responsibility for batteries means that manufacturers, importers and distributors who place batteries on the Swedish market are responsible for ensuring these batteries are collected and recycled when they become waste. This applies whether the batteries are sold separately or are incorporated in appliances, light vehicles or other vehicles.The responsibility is regulated through EU Regulation (2023/1542) on batteries and waste batteries and Swedish regulation (2025:813). The purpose is to promote circular economy, ensure proper waste management and achieve collection and recycling targets for batteries.

Issued by: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Producers of electrical equipment have producer responsibility according to regulation (2022:1276) on producer responsibility for electrical equipment. A producer is anyone who professionally manufactures, imports, or sells electrical equipment in Sweden, including those who sell remotely directly to consumers in Sweden. Both sales to consumers and professional use are covered.Producer responsibility means that producers must prevent waste, design products for recycling and reuse, and ensure environmentally acceptable handling of electronic waste. Producers must engage an approved producer responsibility organization or establish their own collection system, register with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, report annually, and pay supervision fees.

Issued by: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Those who conduct professional vehicle scrapping operations must be authorized by the County Administrative Board in the county where the business is mainly conducted. Authorization is required to receive and scrap end-of-life vehicles, i.e., passenger cars, buses, or trucks with a total weight of up to 3,500 kg that are waste.Authorization ensures that vehicle scrapping takes place in an environmentally acceptable manner and that the facility meets the requirements set by the municipality's environmental administration. End-of-life vehicles can be handed over to authorized vehicle scrappers or to producers' reception points.

Issued by: County Administrative Board

All activities that may have a negative impact on the environment are called environmentally hazardous. This can include emissions to air or water, radiation, noise or odor. Activities requiring permits and notifications are divided into A-, B- and C-activities based on the risk of environmental impact.B-activity requires a permit from the County Administrative Board and includes activities such as wastewater treatment plants, quarries, fish farming, agriculture with animal husbandry, food and feed production, wood products, wind power plants and many industrial facilities. The Environmental Assessment Delegation (MPD) decides after preparation by the County Administrative Board.

Issued by: County Administrative Board

To conduct water activities (vattenverksamhet), you usually need to notify the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) or apply for a permit from the Land and Environment Court (Mark- och miljödomstolen). Water activities include building a jetty, filling or dredging in a water area, laying cables or pipes, culvert work in ditches, constructing wetlands, and diverting water or groundwater.Smaller projects can typically be handled through notification to Länsstyrelsen, while larger or more impactful activities require a court permit. Before applying for a permit, you must conduct a consultation (samråd) with Länsstyrelsen and affected parties. The permit decision specifies conditions for how the work may be carried out and any environmental mitigation required.

Issued by: County Administrative Board / Land and Environment Court