A major environmental scandal is shaking Sweden after the company “NMT Think Pink” was accused of illegally dumping tens of thousands of tons of waste.
Eleven people have been charged in what is potentially being called the country’s worst environmental crime in 50 years.
NMT Think Pink – formerly a waste disposal firm known for its pink rubbish bags – has been accused of illegally burying and dumping tens of thousands of tonnes of waste at 21 sites in 15 municipalities across Sweden, in what prosecutors described as a serious crime, the Guardian reports.
During the investigation, harmful levels of arsenic, dioxin, lead, zinc, copper and petroleum derivatives were determined. Three years ago, parts of Stockholm were shrouded in smoke caused by a fire at an abandoned dump operated by this company.
At the center of the case is successful entrepreneur Bella Nilsson. She previously “crowned” herself with the title of “Queen of Waste” and has since changed her name to Fariba Vancor.
The Swedish portal Aftonbladet writes that Vancor began her journey to success working as a stripper and manager of an erotic club and ended up as an entrepreneur in the utilities sector.
She and some of her employees were accused of handling a significantly larger amount of waste than allowed and illegal dumping, and allegedly caused several fires and exposed nearby residents to toxic gases. All the accused deny the crime.
According to an estimate by Göteborgs-Posten newspaper, Think Pink allegedly dumped at least 200,000 tons of waste, although the true amount could potentially be much higher.
Think Pink is accused of committing Sweden’s worst environmental crime since BT Kemi buried vats of poison in southern Sweden in the 1970s, Klix.ba writes.
