Spring cleaning in Odense

On 13 March 2022 Voi kicked off this year’s Nordic Spring Cleaning Tour – a concept we started in 2021 – to clean the harbour in Odense, Denmark, in a partnership with local diving shop Diving 2000 and the NGO Os Om Havet. With a hardworking team of volunteer divers and on-land helpers, 1,096kg of waste including bikes, a washing machine, shopping trolley, some e-scooters and many more items were collected.

In total, 40 divers looked for waste in the harbour waters, with others helping out from a speedboat plus over 30 local volunteers supporting the initiative on land.

Kristian Agerbo, Voi’s Head of Public Policy Nordics said: “Voi is proud to be collaborating on this initiative. Waste in Odense’s harbour and combating marine pollution is something we are keen to focus on. We are determined to ensure that our e-scooters will not end up on the water, which is why we are working with these experts here and in other Nordic cities.”

Tobias Theil Madsen, Deputy Manager at Diving 2000 said: “Unfortunately some people often forget that, even though it is out of sight, this waste is still polluting our planet. The ocean should never be treated like a bin – It’s a very important ecosystem, and we need to take care of it and protect it, just as we try to do with our land ecosystems.

An event like this is always an eye opener for people who think that marine waste just disappears. On this expedition alone, we removed more than a tonne of waste from the harbour and, even though this is just a tiny amount relative to everything out there, it still counts!”

Helene Mørch, Os Om Havet said: “We were so glad to see the level of engagement and commitment of people who turned up to help. It reminds us that most people actually do want to take action on ocean pollution, and that we can do even more together!

Clean ups like this one in Odense not only invite members of the community to help clean up the harbour, but also educate them about all the issues around the pollution of our oceans. They then share this knowledge with others and spread the word.

When people feel motivated they are more likely to be inspired but also inspire others to take action around ocean pollution and we, at Os Om Havet, are working towards creating a starting point for that.”