Campaigns & Projects
Keep Sweden Tidy runs several public campaigns and projects to encourage a sustainable environmental development.
Litter in cities
Keep Sweden Tidy encourages people to pick up litter in order to achieve a cleaner environment but also in order to show how many people actually care. During the spring months of March, April and May we arrange National Litter Picking-days (Nationella Skräpplockardagarna). Schools, preschools, companies, organizations and municipalities are encouraged to go out and pick litter in their nearby environment. In 2012 more than 675 000 people joined in.
Since the litter is a problem handled by the 290 Swedish municipalities, Keep Sweden Tidy cooperates with them in order to find solutions. In order to retrieve more facts about the litter situation and development, Keep Sweden Tidy offers municipalities a model for measuring both the amount and the kind of litter lying on the ground (Skräpmätning). A model for measuring the actual costs is also on its way. Tools to raise public awareness are also important; National Litter Picking-days is one, as is the Environmental Award for Events.
Agricultural Scrap Metal and Hazardous Waste
Keep Sweden Tidy runs a project with the aim to clear the Swedish countryside from agricultural scrap and hazardous waste. A Non-Toxic Countryside (Giftfri miljö i lantbruket) collects thte metal and the waste from farmers without cost in order to recycle it.
The project is possible thanks to a unique insurance called Recycling Insurance for Agriculture created by Länsförsäkringar, a Swedish insurance company. The recycling company STENA is also an important partner in the project.
Read a brochure on A Non-Toxic Contryside, in english (pdf)
Marine Environment
Sweden Tidy has a long history of running projects and campaigns against marine litter and marine pollution. Several projects are directed toward boat owners, for example Clean Boat Hull (Ren båtbotten). Clean Boat Hull aims to make boat owners use environmental friendly methods when taking care of their boats, more specifically using alternatives to colors containing chemicals dangerous to environment in order to fight off algees, mussels and barnacles.
Earlier successful international projects include for example Save the North Sea, aiming at reducing marine litter, and Baltic SeaBreeze, aiming at reducing marine pollution.
Sustainable development in schools and preschools
During 2009–2011 hundreds of teachers in Sweden will be offered courses and possibilites to exchange experiences about how to teach children and youth to take future actions for a sustainable development. COM-U, Communicating environmental actions to children and youth, is an ambitious project partly financed by the EU fund Life+. The already in Sweden widely spread Eco-Schools program of Green Flag, is used as a tool in the project, helping schools and preschools to work with sustainable development in their day to day-work, involving all children/pupils and all of the personnel.