Several thousand tonnes of harbour sludge have been dumped in Køge Bay this year in connection with the construction of the artificial peninsula Lynetteholm in Copenhagen. The Danish authorities have maintained that the dumping of port sludge does not harm the marine environment. They point out that the project’s environmental impact report states that the … [continue reading]
175,000 litres of oil and 120m of ghost nets successfully removed from WWII shipwreck
The ship Skytteren sank on April 1, 1942, about ten kilometres from the Swedish west coast near the city of Lysekil. According to The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management’ s environmental risk assessment, the Skytteren is ranked as number one on the list of the 30 most environmentally hazardous wrecks. In mid-September 2021, … [continue reading]
Ghost nets: webinar co-hosted by KIMO gives cause for hope
As the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) recognized the urgency to address marine plastic litter from ships, an Action Plan was adopted at its seventy-third session (resolution MEPC.310(73)). To contribute to an ambitious plan to reduce marine litter, in particular ‘Abandoned/Lost/Discarded Fishing Gear’ (ALDFG), the Netherlands submitted an Information Paper to IMO PPR 9: … [continue reading]
Haunted Sea: An in-depth investigation of the problem of ghost gear
Each year KIMO Sweden present a scholarship to investigate a pressing environmental problem. The scholarship holder for 2021, Anna Axelsson, focused her research on ghost gear. Ghost gear is fishing gear (nets, lines, creels and pots) that has been lost or discarded into the sea and is the most harmful form of marine debris because … [continue reading]
Danish Coastal Lottery gets an upgrade
What is the Danish Coastal Lottery anyway? The idea is simple. Participating municipalities have installed boxes and collection points along the Danish coast. The boxes contain bags, tickets and an explanation for locals and visitors to the area. Beach cleaners can fill a bag with whatever rubbish they find on the beach. To enter the … [continue reading]
KIMO UK pledges to work for drug-free rivers
The presence of pharmaceuticals in rivers and lakes is known to be negative, but wastewater treatment plants are not capable of completely degrading these compounds before they are discharged into waterways and, ultimately, oceans. In the UK, there are also issues around the categorisation of pollutant substances, which could mean that substances harmful to human … [continue reading]
Microplastic filters in washing machines: KIMO UK supports the new bill
Microfibre plastic pollution is one of the most pervasive and preventable forms of microplastic pollution, with 35% of total microplastics released into the environment being shed from clothing, mainly during the wash cycle – a staggering 9.4 trillion microplastic fibres per week from laundry in the UK. Due to their tiny size, microfibres are too … [continue reading]
The EU knows that microplastic pollution from artificial turf is a problem – how will they respond?
In Europe it is estimated that a total of 51,616 artificial turf pitches exist with an installed area of 112 million square meters. The infill for these pitches usually includes rubber granulate made from used tyres. Rubber granules are microplastics, and have become a massive issue, as it can be almost impossible to avoid spreading and discharging … [continue reading]
Plastic confetti no longer allowed outdoors in Sweden
A priority issue for all the KIMO networks is that litter to the marine environment must be reduced, especially when it comes to plastic. For many years, KIMO Sweden has campaigned to stop the major littering problem caused by plastic confetti. The EU recently decided in a directive that certain disposable plastic products should … [continue reading]
KIMO urges Norwegian Environment Agency to continue Fishing for Litter
One of KIMO’s most successful projects is Fishing for Litter. Conceived by KIMO in 2001, Fishing for Litter has established itself as the leading scheme for fishers to remove marine litter from the sea. As well as the physical removal of marine litter, the scheme provides a valuable means of education and awareness raising within … [continue reading]
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