'Queen of Trash' in dock in Sweden's biggest toxic waste scandal

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.

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.

- Life of luxury -

Nilsson is also suspected of financial crimes, with company funds allegedly spent on holiday trips and private luxury goods.

Broadcaster TV4 reported that designer shoes and bags had been found when police raided Nilsson's apartment.

According to the police investigation, Nilsson and another person are believed to have used company funds to pick up at least 1,000 private restaurant tabs and buy clothes for over 1 million kronor ($97,000), including a wedding dress for 15,000 kronor, TV4 reported.

Think Pink was hired by municipalities, construction companies, apartment co-ops and private individuals to recycle and dispose of building waste.

But the business came crashing down in 2020 when its owners were arrested.

Bella Nilsson -- who has now changed her name to Fariba Vancor -- has previously told Swedish media that the company acted in line with the law, and insisted she is the victim of a plot by business rivals.

"She has an explanation for all of this," her lawyer Jan Tibbling told the Dagens Nyheter daily on the eve of the trial.

Considered Sweden's largest environmental crime case, the investigation runs to more than 45,000 pages, with 150 witnesses due to testify.

Prosecutors have said they had to limit the charges to 21 sites because they were running out of time before the statute of limitations expired.

One of the prosecutors, Linda Schon, described the case files as "huge", with "so many traces of chats and messages and emails sent to one another."

"It's the coming generations that will pay for this crime," Schon told AFP after the first day in court.

"The damage that we will see in generations' time, that we can only guess," she said.

Several municipalities have sought damages for clean-up and decontamination costs, totalling 260 million kronor.

One of the biggest claims is from the Botkyrka council, where two Think Pink waste piles burned for months in 2020 and 2021 after spontaneously combusting. One was near two nature reserves.