Finland collects over 1,000 tonnes of roadside waste annually

Finland removes more than one million kilograms of litter from roadsides each year, with over 200 tonnes collected in Lapland alone, according to a report by Yle.

Small plastic waste poses a particular challenge, as mowing equipment shreds it into smaller pieces that enter waterways and eventually end up as microplastics in humans.

While the Helsinki region generates the highest volume of roadside litter, Lapland leads in waste per capita and per kilometre of road. Joonas Peltoniemi, maintenance supervisor at the Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, described the annual amount as “enormous.”

Mika Ojala, site manager for Terranor in Rovaniemi, noted that roadside waste includes everything from refrigerators to construction debris. Both Peltoniemi and Ojala reported that litter levels have remained largely stable in recent years, though tourism and holiday cottage visitors contribute to the problem.

Resources for waste collection may face cuts in the coming years as funding for regional centres decreases, though no final decisions have been made.