If you are going to Sweden in 2015

[Neil_Y]

From April you need a holding tank in all Swedish waters, or at least you can't pump out into the sea.

Discharge of sewage from pleasure crafts will be prohibited 2015 in Sweden
In April 2015 regulations against discharge of sewage from pleasure crafts in Sweden will come into force. The regulation applies to all pleasure crafts, regardless of flag, throughout Sweden's territorial waters.

 

[Melleman]

There have been alot of discussions on this topic in Sweden on Swedish forum.(maringuiden)
This have been said.
AFAIK
You do not need a tank,but then you can not use your toilet.
Bucket and chuck it,is still ok.
Or use public toilets,they are spreed around the popular places like Stockholm and Göteborg.
Or go up behind a tree on an island.:encouragement:

So do not abandon your Swedish holliday because of a blackwatertank....

 

[johnalison]

I hope the law isn't retrospective. Our holding tank overflowed in Smogen once, before we knew how small it was.

 

[tri39]

How is bucket and chuckit not discharge of sewage!? What is territorial limit? Who'll tell the whales?

 

[howard easton]

Sweden has lots of little islands. Are they all going to be equipped with pump out stations? Presumably the swedes have the same sort of dog poo laws that we do so are they saying that if you go poo behind the bushes on an island without a pumpout then you have to bag it and take it back to the UK?

 

[knuterikt]

How is bucket and chuckit not discharge of sewage!? What is territorial limit? Who'll tell the whales?

You are a little late for this discussion, decission made in 2012

The aim is to reduce unnecessary fertilizer going into the sea.
They did probably think that the number of boats using "bucket and chuckit" is so small that it doesn't matter.

http://www.transportstyrelsen.se/sv...an-fritidsbat/Karta-over-var-forbudet-galler/

territorial limit is 12 nautical miles from the baseline http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters

More details here http://www.tullverket.se/download/18.4ab1598c11632f3ba9280007393/1371032789960/32f07_1.pdf

 

[Joker]

It's probably something people don't want to know, but at sea I always 'bucket and chuck it'.

 

[davidaprice]

I guess that in Sweden, as in Finland, the 'chuck it' part is supposed to mean chuck it into a conventional toilet or other sewage system when you get back to harbour, not chuck it overboard.

 

[knuterikt]

I guess that in Sweden, as in Finland, the 'chuck it' part is supposed to mean chuck it into a conventional toilet or other sewage system when you get back to harbour, not chuck it overboard.

The Swedish regulation specifically refer to toilet waste as waste from toilets, urinals including "porta potti".
But at the same time they write that waste from bucket is covered by the existing anti pollution regulations.

No detailed information in English it seems..

source : http://www.transportstyrelsen.se/Sj...rfor-det-infors/Vad-menas-med-toalettavfall-/

Toalettavfall omfattar allt utsläpp av avloppsvatten och annat avfall från varje toalett eller urinoar, enligt definitionen i TSFS 2010:96 Bilaga 1. Det omfattar även portabla båttoaletter som exempelvis Porta potti.

Tömning av toalettavfall från hink, potta eller liknande omfattas däremot inte av definitionen av toalettavfall. i TSFS 2012:13. Det är dock förbjudet att släppa ut även detta avfall enligt Miljöbalkens allmänna hänsynsregler. Av 2 kap. 3 § framgår att alla har skyldighet att vidta de försiktighetsmått som behövs för att förebygga, hindra eller motverka att verksamheten medför skada eller olägenhet för människors hälsa eller miljön, den s.k. försiktighetsprincipen. Även att vistas i en båt räknas som verksamhet och att släppa ut övergödande ämnen i vattnet kan inte anses vara förenligt med gott miljötänk. Vad många inte vet är att det faktiskt är just urinen som innehåller högst halter av näringsämnena fosfor och kväve, så om man ser till att det hamnar på land istället för direkt i vattnet är mycket vunnet då marken kan filtrera det på naturlig väg.

Most of the Baltic states have similar rules in place already, it's based on a Baltic antipollution agreement.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Apart from the holding tank rule, there is another more expensive rule and that is washing the boat after haul out.

My club has always used a road crane for a full day hauling all boats one after the other. Now the rules insist that power washing residue must be collected in separate underground tanks. The time taken to do this with every boat means the club cannot use commercial road cranes. Therefore a slip way had to be built and the purchase of a wheeled recovery vehicle with trained operators had to be bought for millions of sek.

Sweden used to be cheap for boating hobby, but, I expect like other things, affordable boating will be a thing of the past.

 

[AliM]

We were there last summer, and I do not recall seeing many pump-out facilities in the smaller harbours. Have they sorted out that aspect? I fully respect the need to keep their lovely, relatively shallow sea clean, but they have to give us a viable alternative to emptying the holding tank at sea.

 

[BurnitBlue]

We were there last summer, and I do not recall seeing many pump-out facilities in the smaller harbours. Have they sorted out that aspect? I fully respect the need to keep their lovely, relatively shallow sea clean, but they have to give us a viable alternative to emptying the holding tank at sea.

I have sailed around the Western Baltic, (Sweden, Denmark, Germany) for nearly 20 years. In my experience very few folk use onboard toilets. Marinas are cheap and small enough for easy quick access to the ablution blocks.

I reckon that the guest harbour sign on the breakwater of participating clubs will display additional sign on the same pole declaring pump-out facilities.

 

[Melleman]

We were there last summer, and I do not recall seeing many pump-out facilities in the smaller harbours. Have they sorted out that aspect? I fully respect the need to keep their lovely, relatively shallow sea clean, but they have to give us a viable alternative to emptying the holding tank at sea.

No they have not.......

 

[jbweston]

I have sailed around the Western Baltic, (Sweden, Denmark, Germany) for nearly 20 years. In my experience very few folk use onboard toilets. Marinas are cheap and small enough for easy quick access to the ablution blocks.

. . . .

Hmmm. I think you must be assuming some very short hops between harbours. I know there are a lot of day sailors, but even so how long can the average crew hold out . . .

As someone who is Sweden-based, I see plenty of local and foreign cruising boats. Even though most of us don't do epic voyages, often we are out of harbour for three or four days at a time, anchoring at night. That's part of the pleasure of sailing in the islands.

Toilet and holding tanks essential unless (a) you bucket and chuck it or (b) your maximum voyage duration is a couple of hours.

 

[jerrytug]

Is it really true that you are legally permitted to use a bucket but not a Jabsco etc, which partly macerates the discharge? Sounds very odd.

 

[prv]

Is it really true that you are legally permitted to use a bucket but not a Jabsco etc, which partly macerates the discharge? Sounds very odd.

I believe it's the same in some parts of the US. The thinking is that if you're in a very small boat where a toilet and holding tank genuinely isn't feasible, you'll put up with a bucket along with the other privations of camp-cruising. Whereas if you have a bigger boat with a toilet, you (or your wife) will be reluctant to rip it out and squat over a bucket, and you'll grudgingly install a tank instead.

Pete

 

[jerrytug]

Aha I get the point thanks.

 

[Melleman]

Is it really true that you are legally permitted to use a bucket but not a Jabsco etc, which partly macerates the discharge? Sounds very odd.

But it´s true.
In Sweden.

I am Swedish so I have scrolled around Swedish boat forum.

Scandinavian humor.... mostly swedish,but they have some sharp norwegian side kick so lets say scandiavian.lol

Som have sugested that you have a bucket under your blackwater outlet that is placed over the water line.
You could be ok.
But then someone else pointed out that if it have been pumpt then it is dangerous.
It's goes on and on,very amusing sometimes.

But as elsevere you get tierd of all ranting after a couple of 100 posts.


I get me coat,heading out with a boat.
Fireworks in Amsterdam seen from the water.
Ta-da

 

[Oldhairy]

Vad många inte vet är att det faktiskt är just urinen som innehåller högst halter av näringsämnena fosfor och kväve, så om man ser till att det hamnar på land istället för direkt i vattnet är mycket vunnet då marken kan filtrera det på naturlig väg.

My Swedish is very rusty, and I was never good at Legalese in any language. Consider at your own risk.
What is not known to many is the fact that it is just urine that contains the highest concentration of nutrients, so if one arranges the disposal in/on the ground instead of in the water much will be gained as the soil can filter it in a natural fashion.
So, no need for marina pump outs. Just pour it into a pit in the ground.

 

[jerrytug]

Vad många inte vet är att det faktiskt är just urinen som innehåller högst halter av näringsämnena fosfor och kväve, så om man ser till att det hamnar på land istället för direkt i vattnet är mycket vunnet då marken kan filtrera det på naturlig väg.

My Swedish is very rusty, and I was never good at Legalese in any language. Consider at your own risk.
What is not known to many is the fact that it is just urine that contains the highest concentration of nutrients, so if one arranges the disposal in/on the ground instead of in the water much will be gained as the soil can filter it in a natural fashion.
So, no need for marina pump outs. Just pour it into a pit in the ground.

Thanks but these decicions should be made scientifically and I believe you are wrong, however I will look it up in the book of poo.