Finnish non-profit launches solar-powered boat to clean up lake litter

The Finnish non-profit organization, Keep the Archipelago Tidy, has launched a solar-powered boat in the harbor of Jyväskylä this week. The boat, named Roska-Roope, is equipped with a metal waste collection cage and its mission is to remove waste from the lake of Jyväsjärvi, that has been discarded by people. The initiative aims to highlight the issue of littering in water bodies, an issue often associated only with garbage patches in the ocean. Roska-Roope has been touring Finnish cities during summer events for several years, making the local waste problem a tangible reality.

Jussi Mulo, captain of Roska-Roope, says that events organized on the shores immediately result in increased amounts of litter. Over the years, the boat has collected a variety of imaginative waste, including numerous bags, chairs, and even party clothes and high heels. Mulo notes that the type of event greatly affects the kind of waste produced.

In Jyväskylä, Mulo explains that a party event like Suomipop produces more waste in the lake compared to rallies, even though the amount of waste in the water increases during those times as well. He laments that the weather on the first day of operation, with its rain and wind, caused the waste to sink quickly to the bottom.

By Friday morning, half a bag of waste had been collected from Jyväsjärvi, including plastic bags and nicotine pouch discs, along with bottles and cans. Based on last year’s experience, Mulo estimates that at least three 250-liter bags of waste and three bags of bottles will be collected over the weekend.

Keep the Archipelago Tidy reminds people that the majority of waste that ends up in the water sinks to the bottom and breaks down into microplastics, which are harmful to the ecosystem. “In the end, it ends up in us humans,” Mulo warns.