© Kiia Palo
The Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association is holding a Mahanpuruja muovista (tummyache from plastic) campaign in which manholes are marked with colourful stickers from 21 August to 3 September 2023. The campaign aims to remind consumers that litter can easily be transferred through manholes to bodies of water.
Manholes often contain cigarette butts, take away wrappings and all manner of plastic waste. According to estimates, the amount of waste that is produced globally will increase by up to 70 per cent by 2050, so preventative action is needed in order to prevent litter. Throwing recyclable rubbish on the ground is also a waste of resources.
The campaign is part of the broad 7-year PlastLIFE project, which aims to create a sustainable circular economy for plastics in Finland by 2035.
Manholes will be marked with colourful fish pictures in a total of 15 cities. Taking part in the campaign through Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY are Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa and Kauniainen. Other participants include Kemi, Joensuu, Lahti, Oulu, Parainen, Pori, Rauma, Riihimäki, Salo, Tampere and Turku. In addition to the street, the campaign is widely visible in both traditional and social media, and it appeals to citizens of all ages.
© Kiia Palo
Read more about the role of Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association in the PlastLIFE project
Read more about the Mahanpuruja muovista campaign (in Finnish, pidasaaristosiistina.fi)
PlastLIFE receives EU funding, which is used to produce the project materials. The contents of the materials represent solely the viewpoints of the project.