Lapland is one of the most attractive nature-tourism areas in Europe, and tourism is vital for local economy.
However, recreationaltourist activities such as skiing, hiking and horse riding deteriorate the unique
and vulnerable nature of Northern Finland. Erosion and wearing of tourist areas negatively affects biodiversity
and ecosystem services and reduce the attractiveness of the region. Tourism is also the source of
other environmental disturbances such as wastes. Currently, in Lapland, the prevalent waste treatment
method is disposal, and wastes are transported over long distances due to lack of recipient facilities for
waste management. The suggestion for sustainable waste management Scenario presented in this paper
is to find a synergistic solution to both of these problems, by local treatment of bio-waste in an anaerobic
digestor and utilization of digestate to revegetate eroded land. Itis proposed that bio-waste is co-digested
with sewage sludge and offal from slaughterhouses in Ylläs in the municipality of Kolari. An estimated
500–1000 t of digestate could be produced and used in tourist areas annually. Experiences from existing
seasonal bio-waste collection schemes and interviews of local tourist enterprises and tourists indicate
that there is willingness to extend the source separation of wastes. Assessment of the digestion Scenario
suggests that economic costs of investment could be offset by avoided costs and by additional environmental
and social benefits. It is concluded that this zero waste approach could lead to an improved image
of Lapland as a sustainable tourist destination.