The project’s overarching goal is to increase public awareness in Greenland about the significance of local sources and their contribution to marine pollution as well as to promote the protection of the sea from waste and wastewater. This will support ongoing work nationally in Greenland and in international environmental collaborations such as the UN, Arctic Council, EU and the Nordic Council of Ministers. In the project, we will map how local sources, such as wastewater and coastal waste dumps in towns and settlements, as well as tourism and fishing activities in Greenland, contribute to marine pollution. Through workshops, awareness campaigns and risk analyses, we will identify and implement solutions to reduce plastic and waste pollution from wastewater, coastal waste dumps and tourism and fishing activities in the vulnerable Greenlandic marine environment. Additionally, we aim to create a communication platform where all small and large initiatives concerning marine waste in Greenland can be communicated and highlight the waste/plastic issue.

The project’s long-term goal is to contribute to reduced plastic pollution from local sources in Greenland to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal No. 14 (Life Below Water) by protecting the marine environment and coastal ecosystems. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to knowledge about efforts and technologies to combat local emissions and inputs of waste into the sea, which is not only important for Greenland but can also be transferred to other small coastal communities with limited resources for wastewater treatment.