The Rise and Fall of Sweden's Waste Queen: Bella Nilsson's Environmental Crime
Think Pink founder Bella Nilsson, also known as Fariba Vancor, has been sentenced for environmental crimes. However, she is unlikely to be the last 'waste queen' in Sweden.
Rising like a star and falling like a heap of toxic waste, Think Pink was once hyped and awarded. Now, it is the subject of Sweden's largest environmental trial ever.
On Tuesday morning, the court delivered its verdict. The founder, front figure, and former CEO Bella Nilsson, who has changed her name 16 times and is now called Fariba Vancor, was sentenced to six years in prison for severe environmental crime. Five other individuals were convicted of environmental crimes of a lesser degree.
In the late 2010s, the bright pink garbage bags became a common sight on streets across Sweden. The business model was simple. By offering low prices, Think Pink quickly outperformed competitors.
However, the waste was never recycled. Instead, the garbage was dumped in various places, on roadsides and fields. In some cases, the waste was ground up and buried in nature.
The consequences are difficult to assess. The cost of cleaning up Think Pink's toxic heaps is estimated at half a billion kronor. In Botkyrka, the municipality pays hundreds of thousands of kronor each month to purify water contaminated by Think Pink's burning waste pile.
The waste not only incurs economic costs. Arsenic, mercury, and lead buried in the ground poison the groundwater and can increase the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease for nearby residents.
The waste mafia must be pursued like the criminal gangs they are.
Experiences from other countries are alarming. In parts of Italy, where the mafia controls waste management and builds homes on top of waste heaps, there is an increase in cancer cases among children. Farmland is poisoned and becomes unusable. Affected cities have been nicknamed the Triangle of Death.
Think Pink is one of the biggest environmental scandals in Sweden. But it is unlikely to be the last. Just like in Italy, organized crime has realized there is big money to be made by burying toxic waste, while the risk of being caught and imprisoned is low.
The Swedish waste mafia is on the rise. As usual, the state is hopelessly behind.
Next year, legislation will be tightened, four years after the government initiated the investigation. Judges and prosecutors will be trained, penalties will be harsher, and a new crime – waste crime – will be added to the law. Police and county administrations will map risks. In some cases, county administrations will take over responsibility from municipalities if there are special reasons, such as threats against municipal officials or resource shortages.
Tightening laws is good, but to prevent criminals from dumping waste, more than mapping and coordination is needed. The risk of delegating responsibility to the police, county administrations, and municipalities is that no one really knows who has the overall responsibility.
It must be crystal clear. Just as there must be clear registers, surveillance, and practical possibilities in the form of technical equipment to stop the criminals.
The waste mafia must be pursued like the criminal gangs they are.