Water pollution caused by humans threatens marine life and ultimately humans. One of the most harmful pollutants is plastic waste that will travel with currents for thousands of miles and for hundreds of years. Sometimes it finally reaches the coast. Every May thousands of Norwegians gather along the coast to help with the cleaning of waste washed up on the shore.
This year, for the first time, RCN students joined forces with people from Dale to clean the fjord’s coastline. On Saturday, 6th May a group of students and staff members went to Dale armed with gloves and trash bags and cleaned about a kilometer long stretch of coastline. We found and bagged old fishing lanes, shreds of plastic bags, long pieces of ropes and other plastic rubbish. We also realised that people are recklessly dumping hazardous waste in the fjord as well: we found half-burnt building insulation materials.
The weather was really kind with glorious sunshine and we were able to spend not just a useful but a very joyful day in Dale that ended on the beach with bathing, cooking over a barbeque and playing volleyball.
