According to TV4 News, several municipalities are sounding the alarm about rising costs for handling empty laughing gas cylinders.
The cost in Gothenburg increased from one million kronor in 2022 to four million in 2023. The bill for this year is estimated to be at least five million. The handling of laughing gas cylinders accounts for 60 percent of the municipality's budget for hazardous waste, according to information from the channel.
However, several other municipalities are also experiencing the same problem, particularly other major urban regions such as Stockholm and Malmö, according to the industry organization Avfall Sverige.
Almost all municipalities I have contact with are talking about an avalanche-like increase, says Camilla Nilsson, an advisor for hazardous waste at the industry organization Avfall Sverige, to TV4 News.
Now, the City of Gothenburg wants the Environmental Protection Agency to urge manufacturers to take producer responsibility through supervision.
This responsibility involves the manufacturer of a product also taking responsibility for handling the packaging.
The use of laughing gas has increased, particularly among young people, according to the police, who see the increase partly in connection with visits and partly as littering in nature.
Laughing gas is not classified as a narcotic, but is used as a kind of drug to create a high.
