Cleaning where no one else can

Smøla is among the most littered places in Norway. Here, the Plastic Hunters clear tons of marine litter on behalf of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund – a job that requires experience, equipment, and endurance.

Published: 26.June, 2025
Last updated: 05.December, 2025

Plastjegerne AS is one of several professional cleanup operators commissioned by the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund to remove marine litter from Norwegian coastal areas. Their efforts are crucial in areas where volunteer work is insufficient. With specialized equipment and experience in challenging terrain, they clean kilometer after kilometer of nature particularly polluted by plastic.

Watch the film from Smøla to learn more about what the job as a coastal cleaner really entails:

A Magnet for Marine Litter

Smøla and the surrounding archipelago consist of over 6000 small islands and islets, and are located right in the Norwegian coastal current. This ocean current carries vast amounts of plastic and other waste from south to north. With low terrain and frequent winds, large amounts of waste accumulate in southwest-facing coves and on land. This makes Smøla one of the most challenging areas to clean up in the entire country.

In just one day, the Plastic Hunters managed to remove 1955 kg of waste from nature

Cleanup Norway in Time

Through the program Cleanup Norway in Time, the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund has divided Norway into cleanup zones. The Plastic Hunters are responsible for zone MR-1, which covers the municipalities of Smøla and Aure – an area with vulnerable nature and large amounts of marine litter. Here, they clean in prioritized areas selected in cooperation with the County Governor, the municipalities, and other expert environments.

Read more and see how you can contribute: Cleanup Norway in Time – Frequently Asked Questions

Please give the Plastic Hunters a "high five" if you meet them – they clean for all of us.

How?

The work of the Plastic Hunters is financed by the fee retailers pay for plastic bags. Some of these NOK from plastic bags go towards paying the Plastic Hunters and other professional coastal cleaners. Thanks to the fund's members, nature along the coast receives much-needed help.