– It’s crazy to see what we’ve done, if you think that the world was once completely clean, says Anna Kaspara Rinaldo. The 4H club that Rinaldo rents on Ringøy in Ullensvang is one of the voluntary organizations involved in the Rein Hardangerfjord project. Between two and three thousand volunteers divided into 151 cleaning teams have today been in place along the world’s fifth longest fjord. Lutro is a well-known motif in the marketing of Hardanger as a natural gem. But along the fjord there is also a lot of plastic housing. Photo: Tale Hauso – I am forced to take responsibility for everything that is left lying around in nature. I am very happy that I am here today to clean up, it gives me hope. But it’s a bit scary to see all this here, says UiB student Silje Synøve Høgelid. By eight o’clock on Thursday evening, 63 of the cleaning team had reported back how much they had cleaned. The preliminary figures show that at least 17.5 tonnes of plastic have been cleared. Silje Synøve Høgelid cleared Thursday in a cove near Mundheim in Kvam herad. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Will be cleared for five years – There are huge amounts, but I am not surprised. The number will be much greater than 17.5 tonnes, says campaign manager Kenneth Bruvik in Rein Hardangerfjord. For the past year, the plastic clean-up general has worked to get the public, organisations, companies and volunteers to participate in the action. Rein Hardangerfjord presents its campaign as the world’s largest clean-up campaign in one day. But the goal of the project is also long-term. Among other things, Bruvik hopes that it can get people to stop throwing plastic into nature. The plastic that was cleared on Thursday has been sorted. Here are harder types of plastic in a container in Rosendal. Photo: Tale Hauso / news – The hope that love for coastal nature will increase, it lives, says Bruvik. Within five years, they hope to clear the Hardangerfjord. – If I can inspire others to want to do something, that’s what I need, says Bruvik. – Is your goal of clearing the entire Hardangerfjord realistic? – Of course it is, says Bruvik. Kenneth Bruvik has been active in the fight against marine litter for a long time, and has, among other things, appeared in the TV series “Plastic Sea” for news, with which this picture was taken. Not just just clearing old plastic By using the experience from the project, they will also put in place a good model for clearing the fjord system of plastic housing. When plastic is left lying around for a long time, it will over time break down into micro and nano plastic. This means that you have to be careful when cleaning. – We are worried that cleaning up old plastic pollution can lead to secondary pollution, if it is not done in a safe way, says senior researcher Gunhild Bødtker in Norce. According to Bødtker, the safe way to clean plastic is not to tear loose plastic that is stuck, but instead to clean the surface. There is room for many homes along the 180 kilometer long Hardangerfjord. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Forskingsinstituttet, as part of Rein Hardangerfjord, is researching how clearing affects the fjord. In advance, they have analyzed water, sediment and some of the animals in the fjord and found out how much microplastic is there. Similar analyzes will be carried out in the years to come, as the fjord becomes more and more cleared. – Although there is a risk, I would like to emphasize that it is an incredibly important measure to clean up plastic, and especially clean it up before it is left lying around for so long that it turns into microplastic. – Is it realistic to hope that such a large fjord can be cleared? – We have a big challenge ahead of us, but it is absolutely worth the effort. I have great faith that the project will produce good results over these five years, says Bødtker.
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Tonnes of plastic cleared in a major campaign for the Hardangerfjord – news Vestland
