Easier management of oil spills

The Beach Cleaning Map, a service provided by Infracontrol on behalf of the West Coast Foundation (Västkuststiftelsen), has been a great success as a simple tool to mark areas where cleaning is needed as well as where cleaning has already taken place along the Swedish west coast. It also makes it easier for the municipalities to take care of the picked-up litter. The service has now been updated with a function especially adapted for reporting oil spills. The development came about in collaboration between Infracontrol, the IVL Swedish Environmental Institute and the West Coast Foundation. It facilitates reporting and taking care of oil contaminations safely and efficiently.

After an oil spill near the island Öckerö in the spring of 2022, the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland tested using the Beach Cleaning Map to streamline cleanup work. Since it proved successful, the app and web service have now been updated to help register oil spills and report when cleanup has occurred.

– With the help of the Beach Cleaning Map, we expect to provide an increased capability to take care of oil found on beaches in an environmentally friendly way, says Jonas Henriksson from the IVL Swedish Environmental Institute’s oil emergency hotline in a press release.

Easier reporting and cleanup of oil spills

Since 2015, professional, non-profit beach cleaners and the public have used the Beach Cleaning Map to mark their cleaning efforts along the Swedish west coast. The app and web service have now been updated with a special symbol to register oil finds and report when cleanup has occurred. Florina Lachman, the coordinator for beach cleaning at the West Coast foundation, explains:

– Anyone who discovers oil along our coast can now select “Oil” as a category in the Beach Cleaning Map. To make it easier for those cleaning up the oil, it is also possible to specify the type of oil involved, such as lumps or very liquid, as well as the length, width and depth of the oil spill. Furthermore, it is possible to leave contact details to receive feedback on the cleanup status.

When the find is reported via the Beach Cleaning Map, the municipalities receive it and can go to the site to clean up the oil spill. Still, if there are emergency spills, the Rescue Service, with the help of the Coast Guard, take over the responsibility for the cleanup, says Florina Lachman and adds:

– Oil found on beaches must be considered hazardous waste. Therefore, cleanup requires protective clothing and specific garbage bags for oil that must be marked. If there is no protective clothing, the oil must remain in place until someone with the right equipment can get there to pick it up and take care of it.

An important service for a cleaner coast

The work with beach cleaning along the west coast, from Kungsbacka in the south to Strömstad in the north, is coordinated by the West Coast Foundation and carried out by the municipalities and procured contractors as well as several non-profit organizations and volunteers. The Beach Cleaning Map has become a valuable tool for marking the need for cleaning and the cleanups that have already been carried out.

– We have been providing the Beach Cleaning Map in the form of a mobile app and website since 2020, says Jonas Bratt, project manager at Infracontrol. The solution was developed in close collaboration with the West Coast Foundation. It is now also used along the coast of Halland and the east coast from a total of 25 municipalities and covers a coastline of approximately 14.000 kilometers.

Since the solution has proven to be well-adapted and appreciated by the public, voluntary associations and those who take care of the garbage, he hopes that more will join, so that beach cleaners and municipalities along the entire coast of Sweden can have access to the service.

Read more in this press release from the West Coast Foundation and at www.vastkuststiftelsen.se

Find out more about how the app is used by the Clean East Coast project here.