MAKER OF A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

Riikka-Liisa Aalto has always picked up litter from her environment, but after she had a child she started doing it almost daily. The Puhdas Päijät-Häme network was born out of a desire to make a connection with other people who care about the environment.

Picking up cigarette butts, disposable coffee cups and other litter may seem like a frustrating task, but that is not how Riikka-Liisa Aalto sees it. For her, a clean environment is a goal that everyone should aspire to, both by their actions and example.

“The earth is our shared home. When waste ends up in nature, it eventually ends up inside us. Collecting litter has strengthened my relationship with nature.” Known colloquially as Roska-Riikkis, Aalto first started picking up litter when she was outdoors by herself or with her child. Then she found out that a lot of other people are doing it too and wondered if they would want to make litter-picking excursions together. That is how the idea was born of a community that is not an organised association but a free-form way of sharing the same interests.

“In the summer of 2019, I started working on building a community with a few friends. The first event we attended was the autumnal Environment Village, and we started our first litter-picking tour of Lahti city centre from there. We were joined at the Environment Village by a university professor for whom we have collected plastic samples for ecotoxicology studies.”

Research and information are needed

Information and community spirit have gone hand in hand in Puhdas Päijät-Häme’s activities, which have included organising events for sharing information about the dangers of litter to humans and nature alike. The network also wants to talk about the importance of picking up litter. The economic disadvantages caused by littering are already a worryingly high expense for the public sector.

“According to some studies, a tidy environment will stay tidier than an environment that already has litter strewn here and there. The adverse effects of litter are quite diverse. The chemical compounds that dissolve from waste can be very dangerous. For example, the world’s most common piece of litter, the cigarette butt, is extremely harmful.”

A cigarette filter is made out of cellulose acetate, which breaks down into microplastics. Cigarette butts also contain tobacco toxins, such as cadmium and arsenic. In reality, microplastics and their toxins end up inside fish, for example, and then on people’s plates. This is precisely the kind of information Aalto believes should be shared more broadly and not just in networks for researchers or enthusiasts.

“I would very much like to see a national litter education campaign that would reach people through as many media as possible.”

Riikka-Liisa Aalto herself became so interested in information concerning the environment that she first began to read up on it on her own. The next step was to apply to study environmental management.

“It’s all thanks to this community that I was inspired to study and switch careers.”

Children join in

Aalto believes in involving children from an early age in picking up litter and in teaching them to do it safely. The principles of the movement include learning things together and acquiring protective equipment, whenever possible. Disposable gloves, garbage tongs and proper garbage bags or buckets are necessary even for an adult. The movement has received donations, for example, of cut-resistant gloves, buckets and reusable bags. Members of the network also save bread bags and other plastic bags for picking up litter.

“Actually, children notice litter much better than adults who have become blind to it. First, we teach children about dangerous litter, such as broken glass and dangerous metal, and tell them not to touch these by themselves. After that, it is the adults’ duty to show them how to pick up the piece of litter and what tools to use. Good hygiene is important.”

Litter-picking excursions strengthen community spirit

The power of litter-picking excursions together has already been clearly shown in the network’s operations. In less than a year, Puhdas Päijät-Häme has organised seven pre-announced events and picked up more than 3,000 litres of litter. They have also cooperated with other organisations that clean up the environment, such as residents’ associations, sports clubs and the City.

“Cities and municipalities are happy that we are cleaning public spaces. One member of our network cleans up certain parks, and park workers have praised her for it because it allows them to get on with their actual job.”

When the City of Lahti was forced to put the long tradition of volunteer cleaning events on hold in the spring of 2020 due to the corona pandemic, city residents were encouraged to pick up litter on their own or with family members. The members of the community continued their work.

“Many of our members pick up litter alone anyway and don’t want people to make a fuss over it. This summer, we will make short expeditions to pick up litter in nearby forests, parks and nature reserves. For the autumn, we have plans to go plogging by bicycle and by foot and have built the outings around a vegetarian food theme.”

People around the world are tackling the problem

Littering is a global problem that we all share, and the litter is mostly the same in every country. Everywhere trillions of cigarette butts and tons of plastic bottles and cans and disposable plastic can be found scattered about the environment.

Voluntary litter-pickers have known about the problem for years, even in countries where there is no waste management. There is also international cooperation.

“Through shared litter picking challenges, we can help each other and make people aware of the problem in our own countries. We share tips about equipment and even means of transport.”

Litter picking outings have become something of an international phenomenon and have even been combined with tours for tourists. Two-minute beach cleaning is also very popular. There are many ways to collect litter: while one person prefers to go plogging, which is a combination of jogging and litter picking, someone else likes to pick up rubbish while out on a kick scooter and yet someone else while SUP boarding. Aalto incorporates yoga-like movements to her litter collection while roaming forests and beaches. She hopes that as many people as possible consider their relationship with nature while cleaning it.

“Picking up macro and microplastics from the beach is a form of meditation as much as picking berries in the forest. Since we all benefit from nature, we can also benefit nature. This creates a strong reciprocal relationship.”

Wide interest in a clean environment

Puhdas Päijät-Häme is more than a litter picking network; the people involved also think about their environmental choices and how to have a clean lifestyle.

“We have become a close-knit community that share ideas about chemicals and food and other health issues. Many of us want to promote organic food and eating vegetables and locally sourced fish. We also strive to participate in events that promote a clean lifestyle. All you need to join us is an interest in cleaning up your environment. We have someone new signing up for our WhatsApp group almost every week.”

The group has also generated creative ideas. In January, the litter pickers salvaged the wooden sticks from New Year’s fireworks, which ended up as building material for a Harry Potter-themed tent. Wherever they go, the members of the group keep an eye out for any usable material to prevent it from ending up in the same pile as combustible waste.

“I know that some paintings, signboards and environmental art at least have already been created from litter.”