'Queen Of Trash' In Dock In Sweden's Biggest Toxic Waste Scandal

Stockholm: 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.

A fire at a landfill is pictured on September 05, 2021 in Botkyrka, south of Stockholm, one of the several places in Sweden that the company "NMT Think Pink" has turned into a garbage dump. (Photo by Stina STJERNKVIST / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT

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".

Shielding her eyes behind big black sunglasses, Nilsson refused to speak to the media at the courthouse north of Stockholm on Tuesday, pushing away reporters' microphones at one point.

The trial is expected to last until May.

High levels of toxic PCB compounds, 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.

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