Your backyard and garden

Help the biodiversity

You who have a garden can make a great contribution to the city's biological diversity.

• Let part of the lawn grow as it pleases.
• Plant plants that are appreciated by butterflies, bees and bumblebees.
• Build a pond with aquatic plants and rocks.
• Build or buy a bee hotel.
• Set up nests for birds and bats.

Fertilize with moderation

• Fertilize a minimum amount and only during growing season. Too much fertilizers are easily transported into lakes and near-by water systems during heavy rain.
• Use unprocessed manure, grass, or your own compost soil on lawns, flower beds and other plantations.

Fight fungi and insect attacks

Many ways to prevent fungi and insect attacks include using environmentally hazardous substances. By choosing alternative treatments, you prevent the spreading of dangerous substances.

• Choose resilient plants.
• Pre-cultivate the soil.
• Use non-woven fiber fabrics.
• Use glue traps.
• Spray plants with water, or water with some soft vegetable soap to get rid of aphids or other insects.
• Use a weed fork against weeds.
• Drain the garden.
• Fertilize, but don’t overdo it.
• Prune trees and bushes.

Do not burn the garden waste

Small scale burning in densely populated areas leads to emissions of PAH in the air, which is a group of carcinogenic substances that are formed during combustion.

• Compost leaves and branches instead of burning.
• You are free to compost garden waste, but, if you want to compost food waste in your yard, you need to apply for permission to the City of Stockholm Environment & Health Administration.
• Take the garden waste to a recycling plant. There, the waste is transformed into energy used for district heating and electricity that we can use in Stockholm.
• If you need help to transport the waste, you can order a pick up. 

Smart barbecue

• Don’t use disposable grills/barbecues. They often contain substances that are harmful to the environment if they are not recycled.
• Don’t use non-stick grilling grids, such as Teflon. They may emit Highly fluorinated substances at high temperatures.