The amount of waste on the Latvian coast has increased by more than 20% in the last 5 years / Article / LSM.lv

The amount of waste on the Latvian coast has increased by more than 20% in the last 5 yearsCynthia Ambote00:00 / 03:52

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The expedition of the campaign “My Sea” surveyed the entire Latvian coast for the ninth time this summer. During the assessment of marine polluting waste in 42 coastal places, Kolka in Dundaga region was recognized as the dirtiest beach, where 80% of the pollution is coal removed from the sea, as well as two beaches in Riga – Daugavgrīva and Vecāķi.

“Daugavgriva pollution is not only due to the contribution of Bolderāja residents.

It consists of every resident of Riga who throws hygiene products into the sewer, every resident of the city and a guest who drops cigarettes in the center or dumps some plastic waste into the river.

This place differs from other coasts in that it is not just local waste, but inland. In turn, for example, in Klapkalnciems there is a load of pollution that arises from one-day vacationers, as well as from beach cafes and events that are not yet connected with good practice – to collect behind them, “said Jānis Ulme, an expert of the Environmental Education Fund and campaign.

In general, the amount of waste on the Latvian coast has increased by more than 20% in the last 5 years, the campaign concluded.

“On average, for every 100 meters of Latvia’s coast, we can find 254 waste units, which is a new negative record in the nine-year coastal assessment history of our campaign. But one of the big news this year is the fact that the European Union (EU) has set a goal. “This will determine how the situation on the coast is good or bad. This EU target is quite radical and provides for 20 waste units per 100 meters. This means that many European countries will have to reduce beach waste by 95%,” said Ulme. .

Also, the most common types of waste for several years are unidentified pieces of plastic, plastic bags, cigarettes and coal, as well as new types of waste have been added this year – disposable face masks and cigarette filters for tobacco heaters.

“We have been seeing a lot of improvements in coastal management in many municipalities for several years, but it is unfortunate to see that the pollution curve is not decreasing. This means that other solutions are needed. Here we must start talking about restricting the circulation of materials in Latvia. “stressed Ulme.

In turn, the cleanest beaches on the coast surveyed in the “My Sea” expedition are Abragciems and Engure of Engure region, as well as Akmeņrags, Mērsrags and several other places where the amount of waste per 100 coastal meters does not exceed 100 waste units.

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