Since 2023, SALT has held the program leadership for Rydd i tide (“Clean Up in Time”). In addition to leading the program, SALT is responsible for project management in seven counties, as well as on Svalbard. For the remaining counties, we collaborate with Oslofjord Outdoor Council, Jæren Outdoor Council, and Marbio in Møre og Romsdal as project managers.

Our responsibilities include developing plans for clean-up areas, preparing tender documents, awarding contracts to professional clean-up operators, overseeing daily project operations, and following up with the operators. SALT is also in charge of project communications. Since 2024, we have also developed and managed the program’s Monitoring Scheme, which compiles data from all ongoing clean-up operations into a standardized format. As part of the monitoring, multiple annual clean-ups are conducted at 85 sites to assess seasonal and year-to-year variations. In addition, SALT staff carry out detailed waste composition analyses from a selection of these sites over the program’s five-year duration, in order to identify the main sources of litter.

Rydd i tide is initiated and financed by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environmental Fund (HMF). Between 2020–2023, the program was managed directly by HMF. The goal of the first project phase was to clean 40% of Norway’s outer coastline by the end of 2023. The current target is to clean an additional 15% by 2025, with the ultimate goal of reaching 70% by 2028. The professional clean-up operators engaged in the program are highly experienced and well-equipped, removing litter from remote and inaccessible locations where the general public and volunteers cannot reach. This includes areas that require crane boats or helicopters for waste removal, and in some cases, individual items weighing over 3 tons have been extracted during intensive operations.

So far, the project has ensured the removal of 4,000 tons of plastic from the Norwegian coast—but the problem is far from solved. Data from Rydd i tide and the Monitoring Scheme undergo thorough quality assurance, making them suitable for research and analysis of critical questions. This knowledge supports decisions on where clean-ups should take place, how efforts should be scaled, and whether litter levels are decreasing or increasing over time. Ultimately, the data inform policymakers on whether current measures are effective, and guide the development of the most relevant preventive measures against marine litter.

Program leader
Snorre Sklet
snorre@salt.nu