Marine litter
Litter in the oceans is a huge environmental problem, and we find trash on the beaches, in the water and on the seabed.
Marine litter is a global challenge that also affects the Arctic. Even the most remote areas are affected, and researchers find both microplastics and larger waste items in several places in the Arctic environment. Svalbard has a vulnerable nature, and even small amounts of waste can cause great damage. Animals can get stuck in ropes and plastic, eat waste, or ingest hazardous substances that come with the plastic. This can lead to serious injuries and, in the worst case, death. Plastic and other garbage drift far with ocean currents. When it ends up on the shore, rivers or ocean around us, it affects both wildlife and ecosystems. When nature is damaged, it also affects the resources we depend on – such as fish, open spaces and a rich wildlife. A cleaner Svalbard means better living conditions for both people and animals, now and in the future.
Available knowledge shows that the majority of marine litter that washes ashore in Svalbard originates from marine activities. This applies in particular to the fishing industry, but shipping and aquaculture also contribute significantly. Analyses of packaging found on beaches in Svalbard show that identifiable items largely originate from Norway and Russia. The findings provide important insight into which actors and areas should be involved in preventive work.
Several campaigns are carried out every year to clean up marine litter on the beaches of Svalbard, with contributions from both permanent residents and tourists traveling around the archipelago. Beach cleanups can be done on a small or large scale. Bring a trash bag with you on your trip and pick up what you come across. We encourage you to use Renthav or Rydde where you can register littered areas, create clean-up campaigns, sign up for clean-up campaigns and register the waste you have cleaned.
Beach clean-up guide
The Norwegian Environment Agency, in collaboration with the Governor, has prepared a beach clean-up guide for anyone who wants to organize clean-up operations. It also contains useful information for those who want to participate in an operation. The guide describes both planning in advance of a clean-up operation and how to ensure the health and safety of beach cleaners.
The beach clean-up guide can be found here (PDF).
You can pick up free beach cleanup bags outside our office, Vei 309-6 in Longyearbyen, during the period May - September. The bags are reusable and must be returned to the Governor after the waste has been delivered. When picking up and returning bags, please enter the number and name of the organization in the book located at the collection point.
A clean-up operation is not complete until the waste has been delivered to a legal reception facility. In Svalbard, this is the Environmental Station in Longyearbyen.
Hazardous waste such as explosives, gas cylinders, etc. should not be picked up. Leave them and report their location to the Administrator by email to firmapost@sysselmesteren.no.
Chemicals and other hazardous waste should be separated, as this can be dangerous for those working at the waste disposal facility. Use the orange bags for this type of waste, to separate it from other garbage in the container.
Smaller clean-up operations can deliver waste free of charge to the Environmental Station in Longyearbyen. Larger clean-up operations, such as those that have received financial support for their implementation, must pay for the delivery of waste according to the applicable rates.
In Longyearbyen, containers have been set up at three locations where you can dispose of small amounts of marine litter that you have cleaned: Bykaia, Gammelkaia and Kullkaia on Hotellneset. Only plastic should be disposed of in these.
For questions regarding waste delivery, you can contact the Environmental Station in Longyearbyen by email at miljostasjon@lokalstyre.no.
Good planning is important for finding, coordinating and prioritizing the work of cleaning up marine litter.
Renthav is a working tool for everyone who works with marine litter – such as professional clean-up operators, professionals who collect knowledge, and the administration. The tool is used to document, map and analyze litter along the coast. It is also part of the public system for registering waste and clean-up.
Rydde is designed for volunteers, schools, teams and individuals who want to participate in clean-up operations. The tool shows where you can clean up, and makes it easy to register what you find.
By using the Renthav database, you can more easily prioritize areas that collect a lot of waste and ensure that you do not plan clean-up where others have already made, or will make, an effort. The database shows where clean-up has been done before, where clean-up is planned, and where there is a known need for clean-up. This means that the clean-up provides greater environmental benefits.
Renthav also provides important information about habitat types, species, cultural heritage, protected areas and landing sites.
There are many restrictions related to traffic and landing. Information you need for traffic can be found on our website here.
Along the west coast of Svalbard there are 16 nature reserves with protection of nesting areas for birds as a protection purpose. There is a traffic ban here in the period 15.5 - 15.8. An overview can be found here.
Out of consideration for cultural heritage, there are some places where traffic is banned all year round. An overview can be found here.
There are three areas in Svalbard where volunteers should not clean up marine litter because it is done by others. This includes areas where the Governor registers beach litter for environmental monitoring in Svalbard and Jan Mayen (MOSJ) and the Oslo-Paris Convention (OSPAR) on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. The areas are also marked with signs, and they are registered in Renthav as OSPAR under the map theme.
Litter should not be picked up in the following areas:
- Brucebukta, in the area bounded by the coordinates UTM 33X (WGS 84) 8709893/0429822 and 8709901/0430022
- Luftskipodden, in the area bounded by the coordinates UTM 33X (WGS 84) 8849261/0415272 and 8848556 / 0415262
- Wilkinsbukta, in the area bounded by the coordinates UTM 33X (WGS 84) 456876/8684751 and 456989/8684760
In Svalbard, all traces of people from before 1946 are automatically protected. Most cultural monuments are located along the coast, and cultural monuments are often found far from settlements. Typical cultural monuments that you can find in Svalbard are cabins, burial grounds, fishing facilities, blubber ovens, mines, etc. Old graves, including crosses and other grave markers, are also automatically protected. The same applies to bone remains, slaughter sites for walruses and whales, and polar bear bones at installations used for polar bear hunting. These cultural monuments must not be cleaned, moved, or excavated.
It can often be challenging for beach cleaners to separate what is marine waste and can be picked up freely, from what is cultural monuments and should not be touched. If you are unsure whether an object can be picked up, it is recommended to leave the object or contact the Governor for guidance. Pictures and descriptions of some of the most common cultural heritage sites that beach clean-ups may come across during clean-up operations and that should not be picked are shown in the beach clean-up guide.
More information about cultural heritage sites in Svalbard is available on our website here.
You can see all known cultural heritage sites in Svalbard by zooming in on the Cultural Heritage Search or Svalbard Map solutions.
Cleaning up littered beaches has been part of the Governor's environmental work since 2000. We work to reduce litter in several ways:
- Carry out clean-up of the three OSPAR beaches on Svalbard as part of the systematic monitoring of marine litter
- Carry out beach clean-up through our own cruises and field work.
- Carry out beach clean-up cruises for permanent residents
- Facilitate voluntary and professional clean-up activities by offering free materials
- Supervise waste management by businesses
- Supervise the reception and handling of waste in ports and reception facilities
- Contribute knowledge and information to relevant activities, research and environmental monitoring by contributing to data collection for OSPAR sites and MOSJ
- Guide the population, business and institutions through information on our websites and updating the guide for beach clean-up in Svalbard.
There are several opportunities to apply for money to clean up marine litter.
- The Norwegian Environment Agency provides grants for measures against marine litter.
- The Norwegian Trade Environment Fund provides financial support for measures that help reduce the environmental challenges of plastic.
- Keep Norway Clean provides reimbursement if you have had expenses in connection with voluntary cleanup of ownerless marine waste.
- The Svalbard Environmental Fund, which provides financial support for environmental protection work in Svalbard.