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That marine litter harms nature and wildlife is well known. Now, SALT has documented that litter in the ocean around Svalbard is also affecting the wild reindeer on land. Through the national cleanup program Rydd i tide, SALT has coordinated the removal of waste along Svalbard’s coastline, commissioned by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund (Handelens Miljøfond). The cleanup has revealed that many wild reindeer become entangled in fishing nets and die as a result of marine litter. On average, one dead reindeer was found for every 3.5 kilometers of coastline.
Read more about the findings our researchers have made in this article at
NRK. (Norwegian text only)
It is now becoming easier for schools and kindergartens to teach children and young people about marine litter. The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund (Handelens Miljøfond) has launched the website Lær i Tide, which gathers quality-assured educational resources on the topic in one place. The website was developed by SALT on behalf of the Reitailers Environment Fund and financed through the plastic bag levy. The goal is to engage children and young people in the fight against plastic pollution and in the preservation of the marine environment. The website offers freely accessible online resources with hundreds of lesson plans tailored for all ages, from kindergarten to upper secondary school.
Kjersti Eline Tønnessen Busch from SALT had the pleasure of moderating a strong panel that discussed Norway’s salmon aquaculture industry, when Meieriet Library in Vestvågøy invited for debate this week. The pros and cons of salmon farming were debated — an industry that creates activity and jobs in coastal communities and produces food that generates significant export revenues. At the same time, however, it has a negative impact on wild salmon and struggles with animal welfare issues and nutrient pollution. The panel consisted of Tormod Henry Skålsvik from Nova Sea AS, Kristoffer Høyning from Multigen Akva, Martin Eggen from BirdLife Norway, and Simen Sætre, who co-authored the book The New Fish together with Kjetil Østlie.
At SALT, we are extremely proud to lead the world’s largest professional cleanup initiative, Rydd i tide. We carry out this work on behalf of the program owner, the Norwegian Retailers’ Environmental Fund (Handelens Miljøfond). Thanks to Rydd i tide, which is financed through the plastic bag levy, half of Norway’s outer coastline has now been cleaned. Here are some of the results so far:
- Over 4,300 tonnes of waste have been removed.
- More than 31,500 km of coastline have been cleaned.
- A completely new profession has emerged: kystrenovatører—professional cleanup workers dedicated to keeping our coast clean.
As program coordinator, we take great joy in following this effort closely every day.
Read more about the results of Rydd i tide on the Norwegian Retailers’ Environmental Fund’s website here.
