I was recently featured in a story published by NSD, a news outlet that covers the Norrbotten region in Sweden. The written story was published on August 8, 2026, as well as a video. The link can be found here, though it is behind a paywall so the text is listed in English below.
For many summers in my village in Sweden there has been a problem with birds taking trash out of the community recycle bins and leaving it all over the ground. When it is windy the trash often blows into neighbors’ yards and into the nearby forest. This actually occurs throughout Norrbotten and people often share pictures on Facebook of trash lying about in their village.
Recently I became fed up with the trash problem and decided to buy two trash pickers so my children and I could start picking up trash in the area. I thought it would actually be something fun for my children to do especially since they are home during summer break. Turns out they actually did think it was quite fun.
I even decided to leave the trash pickers close to the recycle bin area and let people in my community know that they are welcome to use them to pick up trash when they have the time. So far the trash pickers have not been stolen but I am not sure how many people have participated in picking up trash.
I posted a video to a local Facebook group in Gällivare reporting what my family had started doing. A local reporter from NSD picked up on the video and in no time was in contact with me asking if she could do a story about it. I thought this would be a great opportunity not only to have a louder voice in the region but also for my children to see how reporting is done. So now we are featured in a public written piece and a video.
On a final note, despite many residents being Socialdemokrat (Social Democrat) and Milöparti (Green Party) voters in my community, I am surprised no one has made effort to address the trash issue. With all the talk they do about the environment one would think they would be the first people to address trash problems. But instead it is me, the American immigrant who voted for Trump, that is trying to address trash problems!
Story text translated to English:
They’re picking up trash in Skaulo: “We want to do something as a family.”
After seeing many social media posts about littering at recycling stations, Lauren Ell decided to do something about the problem. Together with her family, she has purchased litter pickers and now conducts regular cleanup efforts at the recycling bins in Skaulo.
According to Lauren Ell, the village has had problems with litter ending up on the ground for several summers now.
While on parental leave, she saw an opportunity to combine a good cause with a fun activity for the older children.
“The kids think it’s a lot of fun; we come here almost every day,” she says.
She has shared information about the initiative on social media and encourages others to also use the trash pickers that she leaves behind after they’ve used them.
– A lot of people have liked it and think it’s a good idea. I don’t know if anyone has been here and used them, because no one has mentioned it. But I hope there will be more participants in the future. I think it’s good for the village.
The family usually spends between five and ten minutes picking up trash at the recycling station. During walks in the woods, they sometimes fill an entire bag.
“We’re here for a little while every day,” she says.
Even though the trash pickers are available to the public, Lauren Ell isn’t particularly worried that they’ll disappear.
– I’ve been a little worried, but I figured we’d give it a try and see what happens. They’ve been here for several weeks, and no one has taken them.
She has also put up a sign where people who pick up trash can write down their name and the date.
“So we can thank those who have participated. Maybe we’ll have a party when summer is over,” she says.
In the future, she hopes for a more permanent solution to the problem.
“I hope they’ll pick up the trash from the house, because when the bins get full, trash is sometimes left outside.”