Baltic Clean Games

Situation and background 

Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region are situated along the Baltic Sea. This long and picturesque coastline, which is mainly used for recreational purposes, is marked by intensive coastal pollution and waste found at the beaches and surrounding areas. Mismanagement by local authorities through irregular cleaning of waste and the inefficient provision of bins forms a huge part in contributing towards this problem. Littering by locals, who are unaware of the consequences of their actions, further contributes towards the growing waste amounts in this area.

In an effort to reduce waste pollution, eco-volunteers regularly organise beach clean-ups to collect some of the garbage, which is then sent to local dumpsters or recycled if possible. They further produce and circulate posters to raise environmental awareness on this issue and help simulate more responsible behaviour. However, whilst these activities form a good initiative, they are mainly organised and attended by only a small group of committed people that share personal life values in relation to a clean environment. Thus, in the long term, efforts are needed to involve more people from various different backgrounds in order to effectively combat Russia’s pollution problem.

The main focus of this project is to raise public awareness about the issues of waste pollution and the consequent effects on the marine environment. With this in mind, the project aims to gain new ideas from different people for developing new waste management solutions. The goal will be implemented through the gamification of beach clean-ups. This has already proven to be an efficient technique – since 2014 more than 10 games have successfully been conducted in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad Region, Moscow and other parts of Russia. The events, which received huge amounts of media attention, attracted a large number of people from different backgrounds. Local administration, the public, eco-activists and municipalities all came together to co-operate towards finding a solution to the problem of waste pollution on Russia’s beaches.

Project activities and effects 

The global mission of the Baltic Clean Games is to encourage people to learn about the problems of environmental pollution through games. The main aim of this project was to raise public awareness on pollution at the Gulf of Finland seashore and to bring together different stakeholders (locals, eco-activists, authorities, municipalities) for cooperation in finding a suitable solution for this problem.

Three ecological games were conducted in Saint Petersburg in the summer of 2016 (Lomonosov, Sestroretsk and Kanonersky Island). The games were attended by 283 participants, with overall 5 tonnes of waste collected at the three sites. Baltic Clean Games managed to bring together people from municipalities, Saint Petersburg committees, and locals of all ages, many of whom were previously unaware about the marine environment and sustainable waste management. The games helped all participants gain knowledge on this important topic along with cooperate with others who shared the same values in order to develop new waste management strategies.

After the first game in June, a presentation was held at the meeting of the Council of Saint-Petersburg Municipalities and a final press conference took place on 27. September 2016.