Together with No Waste! and Mepex, Asker Municipality is leading a project in order to investigate the possibility of creating a regional centre for marine littering, mainly focusing on plastic waste. The aim is to prevent littering by gaining more knowledge about the litter and its sources of origin.
Asker municipality has the longest coastline in the Oslo region, surrounded by Drammensfjorden and Oslofjorden. Asker aims to be a litter free municipality, also with respect to marine littering. More than 90 % of the litter found in the ocean is plastic waste, and a high amount of the litter is entering the ocean from land. It is also the 8th largest municipality in Norway with its 90.000 inhabitants.
Thus we can build knowledge and awareness amongst all relevant stakeholders in order to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastic articles produced and used by companies, enhance the waste collection and recycling methods for plastic, and the amount of litter abandoned in the environment – with or without intention.
In No Waste! we have companies working with prevention, collection, analysis and processing of marine waste and littering.
A regional centre would be a perfect innovation arena for developing circular solutions.
Material recycling of old plastic boats is one project we are working with at present.
The project is financed with grants from Buskerud County Council and Asker Municipality.
Project Managers: Tina Wågønes, No Waste! og Kathrine Kirkevaag, Mepex Consult