Floating tubes to prevent plastic pollution

The fundamental rule is to ban sea dumping of stones containing plastic or other pollutants, according to the Environment Agency.

Currently, the only way to prevent this from occurring is to install floating tubes in areas where blasted stone used for tunnel drilling enters the sea.

But the Environment Agency is keeping a close eye on efforts abroad to create explosives cables using only non-polluting substances.

New potentially polluting project

The issue of polluting explosives cables is back on the agenda after Bakkafrost Farming was granted an environmental approval to dump stones into the water off the village of Norðtoftir near Klaksvík.

Bakkafrost Farming is planning to install floating tubes to prevent plastic from the stones from spreading into the sea.

Limitations

The approval comes with numerous restrictions, the main one being that the spread of plastic is to be kept to a minimum.

It is estimated that each cubic metre of stone contains 10-30 cm of plastic, and Bakkafrost Farming is planning to sink 57,500 cubic metres of stone into the sea.

 >>  Plastic pollution will be kept to a minimum 

According to the Environment Agency’s estimates, only a small portion of the plastic that comes off the stones will drift to the shore, while a larger portion will remain in the sea.

The approval requires Bakkafrost Farming to pick up all explosives cables that end up in the sea and register each single one.

The Environment Agency reserves the right to retract its approval if these conditions are not adhered to and the sea becomes polluted.

Translated by prosa.fo