Seeking new ways for waste problem in Greenland | Polarjournal
With just under 90 people, Itilleq is one of Greenland’s small communities and serves as a positive model not only for tourists. (Photo: Michael Wenger)

Garbage is a global problem and its proper and sustainable disposal is an all-pervading headache. Even Greenland is struggling with its garbage and is therefore looking for new, long-term and sustainable ways to tackle it. One model could come from a small settlement.

Just under 90 inhabitants make up the settlement of Itilleq on the West Greenlandic coast. But the small place just made headlines in Greenland, because it offers a role model that many other communities could follow. In Itilleq, which lies on a small island about 42 kilometers south of Sisimiut and 132 kilometers west of Kangerlussuaq, there is next to no garbage inside or outside the village, a (sadly) unusual occurrence in Greenland.

Waste disposal in smaller and more remote places in Greenland is a logistical problem. Most of the time the waste is piled up and simply burned (picture in the back right) or very rarely collected in containers and taken away to be incinerated somewhere else. (Photo: Michael Wenger)

Litter is a pervasive problem in Greenland, both in the water off the coast and on land. Whether it’s plastic, metal, or liquid such as fuel or oil, it’s almost all found lying around somewhere in most places.

Solutions such as regular trash pickup, recycling centers and incinerators have only just been implemented in larger cities. In smaller and tiny communities, climatic conditions, lack of infrastructure, lack of financing and profitability are usually the reasons why residents there simply pile up their garbage and burn it. There may also be sudden fires in the garbage dumps. Pollutants then enter the soil and the surrounding water, where they accumulate over time and threaten public health and nature.

For years, the government has repeatedly launched programs and actions to change the situation. But no real improvement has been made so far.

In addition to logistical problems, experts also blame a lack of understanding regarding the impact on health and quality of life within the population for the lack of successful campaigns. Now, the two government-owned companies KNI (Kalaallit Niuerfiat) and Royal Greenland intend to change that, launching an awareness campaign next year that will focus on Itilleq as a model of how to do things better.

Royal Greenland is the largest fisheries and fish processing company in Greenland and one of the main employers in most communities. But the company also sees itself as one of the main culprits of the waste problem, along with the trading company KNI. This is now set to change. (Photo: Michael Wenger)

The two companies intend to seek a sustainable and long-term solution to put a stop to Greenland’s garbage pile. “It’s not about another cleanup day, but a long-term solution that minimizes the amount of garbage accumulating in towns, cities and in nature,” they write in a joint press release.

They both feel they have a duty to do something because they are a substantial part of the problem: KNI, as the owner of Pilersuisoq, the stores in Greenland’s communities, and Polaroil, the state oil company, is responsible for the packaging and petroleum liquid waste. On the other hand, Royal Greenland, through its monopoly in fisheries and fish processing in the communities, is responsible for the waste from these two industries.

The campaign includes a film presenting the “Itilleq model” and a competition for communities to find the best solutions. The aim is to create incentives for the communities to look for the best solutions for themselves and to get the “wind of change” blowing through their heads towards a more sustainable use of materials and waste.

But until that happens, the regula coastal wind will continue to blow trash around.

Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal

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