Clean Seas Survey

AECO’s Clean Seas Program is a long-running collaborative initiative to reduce plastic pollution in the Arctic through cleanups (Clean Up Svalbard and Clean Up Iceland), plastic‑reduction efforts, and education. Through the program, members have long contributed to reducing marine litter and protecting Arctic coastal environments. To ensure that these efforts remain effective, relevant, and aligned with current operational realities, we are conducting this survey to better understand members’ experiences with cleanup activities across regions. The survey aims to identify factors influencing participation, explore regional differences, and gather input on how the Secretariat can best support and strengthen the Clean Seas Program going forward.

Clean Up Svalbard is the most established and effective project within AECO’s Clean Seas program. For many years, members have played a key role in removing marine litter from Svalbard’s shores, delivering tangible environmental benefits and contributing valuable data and knowledge. However, in recent seasons we have observed a decline in reported cleanup activites and participation levels. To better understand this development, we would like to learn whether operational, regulatory, environmental, or other factors are influencing the ability or motivation to carry out cleanups in Svalbard. The aim of this part of the survey is to identify where potential constraints exist and to understand whether there are areas where the Secretariat could provide additional support.

Clean Up Iceland was created to support AECO members in contributing to environmental protection and reduction of plastic pollution in Iceland through shoreline cleanups. The project has been launched in collaboration with local partners and with landowner permissions in place. To simplify participation for operators, AECO has provided practical guidance, coordinated with landowners to approve cleanup sites, arranged free waste disposal, and offered options for both planned and ad-hoc cleanups. Despite these efforts, participation in the project has been lower than expected, so AECO is reviewing how Clean Up Iceland operates in practice. AECO is seeking input to better understand what factors may have influenced participation. The goal is to evaluate whether AECO should continue using resources in Clean Up Iceland, or focus them elsewhere, due to lack of member interest and participation.