During the summer, the City of Turku and the Baltic Sea Challenge will cooperate with Clewat Oy by testing a new type of Cleansweep-water cleaning vessel. The vessel collects plastic waste from the Aura River from the center of Turku on August 18-20.
The cooperation aims to establish the efficiency of the Cleansweep in tackling the issue of marine debris.
The amount of litter in the seas is continuously growing. Most of it comes from our most basic behaviors, eating, drinking and smoking. The trash ends up in the sea carried by waste waters, rivers and wind. Over 70% of the marine litter is made of plastic, which is harmful to the sea life and in general, to the environment.
The objective in the cooperation between city of Turku, Baltic Sea Challenge and Clewat is to develop and enhance waste collection to the point were even the tiny plastic pieces can be collected from the river.
The voice of the people has been heard in the defense of the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea Challenge is coordinating the volunteer-based actions in Turku to protect the Baltic Sea. It took part in December 2019 in a participatory budgeting, where the inhabitants of Turku had the chance to make suggestions for the protection of the Baltic Sea. One of these suggestions was a mean to get more knowledge on the waste going through the waste waters. Clewat Oy was chosen to identify the amount and the type of waste there is in the Aura River.
The Baltic Sea Challenge is a collaborative project between the cities of Helsinki and Turku which aims to act for the Baltic Sea.
https://www.turku.fi/uutinen/2020-08-14_muoviroskaa-vastaan-uusin-ratkaisuin