Cleaning up Russia’s Kola Peninsula

Why did you decide to launch this project?

A member organization from the Sámi community in the area had identified a serious need for waste removal there. There were a lot of unauthorized dump sites. People had complained about them for years, but no one had the capacity to do anything about them. Since the Sámi get most of their food from hunting and foraging, it was very problematic for their food security.

What kind of waste was being dumped at these sites?

Much of the waste was construction materials, abandoned vehicles and industrial debris, including old oil drums, which often had hazardous substances still in them. Organic waste and general household trash were also common in many of the unauthorized dumpsites. So, it was a wide variety of waste, and it had collected over many years. I think one of the reasons for this was a lack of infrastructure to handle waste collection in the area. People would just go out to the wilderness and dump it there because that was the only way to get rid of garbage.

What risks did this pose to the Sámi communities in the Kola Peninsula?

A lot of this waste was near the town of Revda, which is on a river that flows through the Murmansk region. Many people there live off fish and foods that they forage for near the river, like mushrooms, which absorb what’s in the ground. So, there was a large risk of having these toxins enter the food chain. This would pose a serious threat over time—not only to local wildlife but also to human health—by contaminating water sources and the food the Sámi rely on for sustenance. Having waste spread all over the place generally also ruined the nature and affected the local biodiversity.

How did you go about cleaning up these sites?

The first task was to identify the unauthorized waste sites. Our member organization in Murmansk started in the villages of Revda and Krasnoshchelye, working closely with the local Sámi people who helped pinpoint the locations of these sites. Since they were the ones complaining about the dumpsites, the Sámi would know where they were. We used GPS tools and visited the sites to make sure that those in the most remote areas were also documented.

Given the remote locations, we also needed a wide variety of equipment, including snowmobiles and trucks, to get access to the sites. Helicopters were also used to transport supplies and remove larger debris in some areas. We then contacted the appropriate authorities and professionals to extract the waste and bring it to proper handling facilities, where it could be treated and processed without endangering human health or wildlife.

How difficult was it to clean up these sites?

It was really challenging to extract the waste because these sites were in remote areas with no easily accessible roads. You couldn’t just go in with a dump truck. You had to traverse them with a wide variety of vehicles. And in some cases, access was only possible in winter, when ice roads could be used.

It was a lot of hard work. But one of the reasons the project was so successful is that we managed to engage people at the local level to help with the clean-up efforts. We got funding so local Sámi and local volunteers could be paid to be part of the extraction efforts.

What difference has the project made for the community?

It has made a profound difference. The existence of these waste sites in Sámi communities was not only a significant health issue—it was also negatively affecting their mental health and overall well-being. Just seeing these sites all over the place and knowing they couldn’t do anything about them must have been awful, honestly. Cleaning up hundreds of tons of waste from these areas made a huge difference to these communities. The waste management infrastructure also got better as a result of the project, so it did wonders not only for the Sámi people, but for all local residents.

With this sort of project, there is also an awareness-raising component, and it did make the local population realize that there are better ways to handle waste and that it is illegal to dump it in the wilderness. We hope this awareness might prevent new sites from forming.

What is happening with the project now?

The project officially concluded in July of 2022 with many significant clean-up efforts completed. This included the removal of hazardous oil tanks in Yonsky and waste clean-up activities in Lovozero and Kovdor districts. Some key contaminated sites were registered with local authorities to ensure that future clean-up efforts could be carried out safely. These efforts also helped protect local ecosystems and rivers, including important areas along the Voronya and Nivka rivers, where illegal dumping had been damaging nature.

While we are not able to continue the Kola Waste Project for now, we are incorporating the lessons learned into new waste management projects in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Sámis in these regions face similar waste management challenges, and the Saami Council is currently working with our member organizations to identify a pilot project that can address these issues. The Kola Waste Project will remain a role model for new solid waste management pilot projects within ACAP that focus on addressing waste in remote Arctic communities.