Soviet-era waste will take years to remove from Jūrkalne coast

Waste buried by the Soviet army is emerging on the picturesque Jūrkalne steep coast, and its removal is expected to take years, LSM reported. Plastic sheeting, metal objects and other debris have begun falling from the former military missile base known as Raķešnieki. The State Environmental Service has inspected the site, while the local parish administration has begun collecting the waste.

The area was a restricted zone during the Soviet era and is now privately owned. As coastal erosion washes away the steep shoreline, layers of buried waste are being exposed.

“More plastic sheeting, which does not decompose or takes the longest to decompose underground. Here we can also see what takes the longest to break down: asbestos cement sheets, various metal remains, fragments, sheeting and a plastic box,” said Ligita Kalniņa, head of the joint administration of Užava and Jūrkalne parishes.

She said the waste could only be removed by hand because the cliff is steep and dangerous. A tractor is used only to transport the filled bags. Workers can collect and clear the debris by hand, but machinery cannot be used directly on the coast.

The waste was first noticed in early June. Evija Šmite, director of the State Environmental Service’s Fisheries Control Department, said photographs taken during the inspection showed large quantities of waste, including rusted cans, plastic sheeting and paper. The material was exposed as coastal erosion blew away or caused the sand to collapse.

Alongside the newly exposed waste, regular collection continues of rubbish washed ashore from the sea and discarded by people. Tens of thousands of euros are spent each year on waste collection, with plastic waste being the most common material washed up by the sea.