Solar-powered boat Roska-Roope launched in Finland to collect lake litter during Suomipop festival
This week, a solar-powered boat named Roska-Roope was launched by Pidä Saaristo Siistinä ry at the Jyväskylä harbour in Finland. The boat is equipped with a metal waste collection cage to collect litter left behind by humans in Lake Jyväsjärvi. The launch coincides with the three-day Suomipop festival, which brings in over 30,000 visitors to the city. The initiative aims to raise awareness of the problem of water pollution.
Litter thrown into the water is a problem often associated with waste rafts drifting in oceans. However, Roska-Roope has been touring Finnish cities during summer events for several years, bringing the local litter problem to the forefront. The amount of litter visibly increases during events held on the shores, says Jussi Mulo, who captains Roska-Roope. Over the years, they have collected a variety of imaginative items, ranging from multiple shoes, bags, and chairs to party clothes and high heels.
Mulo explains that events like the Suomipop festival produce more litter in the lake than rallies, although the amount of waste in the water increases during these events as well. Despite the weather conditions on the first day causing the litter to sink quickly, by Friday morning half a bag of waste had been collected from Lake Jyväsjärvi, including plastic bags and nicotine pouch discs, as well as bottles and cans.
Based on the previous year, Mulo estimates that at least three 250-litre bags of litter and three bags of bottles will be filled over the weekend. Pidä Saaristo Siistinä ry reminds that most of the litter that ends up in the water sinks to the bottom and breaks down into microplastics, which are harmful to wildlife. Ultimately, this ends up affecting humans, warns Mulo.