Cleaning up Svalbard

Contributing by Cleaning Up

Clean Up Svalbard is an initiative to remove coastal waste, launched by the governor of Svalbard in collaboration with AECO, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators.

As a founding participant, our company frequently engages in these beach cleanup activities. For instance, in August 2019, cleanups conducted from our vessel Hondius removed 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds) of waste from Spitsbergen's beaches, equivalent to about half the weight of an average car. This trash included fishing weights, pieces of net, and various smaller plastics.

During one of our 2022 Arctic cruises, we conducted an impromptu cleanup on Wahlbergøya. While hiking, we discovered a large bay littered with plastic waste. Alongside a group of our passengers, we collected so much waste that it exceeded the capacity of our bags, leading us to fill an entire Zodiac instead. We estimated that we removed at least 250 kg (over 600 pounds) of waste from this site. Upon returning to Longyearbyen, we disposed of all the waste in the designated Cleanup Svalbard bin.

The contributions of participating polar tour operators like ours are significant, accounting for about three to four of the approximately 20 tons of waste that Clean Up Svalbard removes from Svalbard's beaches each year.

The Issue with Plastic

Most of this waste is plastic pollution originating from local shipping and commercial fishing. In fact, in 2016 and 2017, about 60-80% of Svalbard's plastic waste came from the fishing industry, washing up on the shores and spoiling the natural beauty of this rugged environment.

This waste takes a long time to decompose, and plastics never fully break down, so it accumulates rapidly and poses a serious threat to local wildlife. Litter can become entangled in the feet and beaks of birds or in the antlers of reindeer, causing them long and painful deaths.

Microplastics can also become trapped in the digestive systems of wildlife, often leading to starvation.

Our Company, AECO, and Clean Up Svalbard in Action

Clean Up Svalbard organizes two annual beach cleanups conducted by local volunteers from Longyearbyen to address this issue. These events are very popular, much like our company's beach cleanups are among our staff and passengers.

We deposit all the litter we collect during our beach cleanups into a special bin in Longyearbyen, where it can be processed in an environmentally safe manner.

AECO, the governor of Svalbard, our company, and several fellow tour operators continually gather data to improve the valuable Clean Up Svalbard program.