WORLD CLEANUP DAY 2025

This year, we invited volunteer divers to clean the bottom of Marina Gdańsk (Szafarnia Street 9). It was quite a treat, as diving there is not usually allowed, and the marina itself hadn’t been cleaned for years. As the participants themselves said, taking part in the initiative was a way to combine pleasure with purpose – diving in an interesting location normally inaccessible to recreational divers, while also taking action for the good of the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea, as a partially enclosed sea with limited water exchange with the ocean, tends to accumulate pollutants, including plastic. Plastic waste that ends up in the sea remains in the ecosystem indefinitely, breaking down into ever smaller pieces – microplastics and nanoplastics. This phenomenon is particularly dangerous, as tiny plastic particles enter the marine food web, negatively affecting marine organisms and eventually making their way back to us – humans. Marine litter comes from various sources – some are trash left on beaches, some flows into the sea via rivers or sewage (e.g., microplastics from cosmetics or synthetic fibers from clothing), and others are lost fishing nets in the sea, known as ghost nets. One thing is certain – they all originate from us, humans. That’s why a proactive approach is essential to prevent the Baltic Sea from becoming polluted. Involving volunteer divers to clean up Marina Gdańsk allowed the removal of waste from the sea that, if left in the water, would have gradually become an even greater threat to the ecosystem.

During an hour-long dive in the marina, the divers pulled numerous metal cans, plastic and glass bottles, and smaller pieces of plastic from the seabed. However, among the sunken trash, there were also more spectacular finds of much larger size. The divers recovered, among other things, three electric city scooters, a traffic sign, a tire, plastic buckets, and a trash bin.

Report from the marina cleanup in Gdańsk with divers as part of the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC 2025 campaign. Photos by Bartłomiej Chęciński.

Fourteen divers took part in the marina cleanup, with the operation coordinated by the team from Tryton Diving Center – a partner of the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC event – with the help of volunteers. A team of lifeguards also ensured the divers’ safety. The Gdańsk Sports Center was another partner of the event.

Report from the beach cleanup in Gdańsk Brzeźno as part of the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC 2025 campaign.
Photo by Bartłomiej Chęciński.

At both event locations – the marina in Gdańsk and the beach in Brzeźno – a photography exhibition by Karol Tomaszewski, “Traces on the Water: A Journey Toward Balance,” was also on display. The exhibition tells, through images, how brief human life is compared to the timeless nature of the Baltic Sea and how sailing teaches humility in the face of the elements. Created as part of the ECOMARINAS project, the exhibition conveys that sailing also leaves a footprint: waste, emissions, and noise. However, conscious choices can significantly reduce it. In the Baltic region, there are approximately 3.5 million recreational boats, a scale at which “small decisions” can have major impacts.

The photographs were taken during a voyage aboard the STS Generał Zaruski on the Gdańsk–Västervik route, from September 2nd to 8th, 2024, as part of the ECOMARINAS project. The ECOMARINAS project runs from July 2024 to June 2027 and is led by the Gdańsk Sports Center (PL) in collaboration with the Pomeranian Voivodeship (PL), Tolkmicko Municipality (PL), Klaipėda University (LT), Neringa District Administration (LT), Slottsholmen Marina Västervik (SE), Coastal Union Germany (DE), and the MARE Foundation (PL). The exhibition premiered on Sea Day at the Poland Pavilion during Expo Osaka in July 2025.

 WE TOOK ACTION ON LAND

For the second part of the initiative – cleaning the beach and nearby forests in Gdańsk Brzeźno – we invited everyone interested to join. At the MARE Foundation tent, all participants received gloves and reusable trash bags, so that no additional waste would be generated while cleaning. Additionally, we encouraged people to collect cigarette butts in separate cups to illustrate just how common they are as litter on the beaches.

According to data from the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) report, every 100 meters of Baltic beaches contains between 50 and 300 pieces of litter. The vast majority of it – as much as 70% – is plastic, which, if not removed, is very likely to end up in the sea. The most commonly seen litter on the beach includes cigarette butts, which are particularly toxic to the environment, as well as other single-use items such as bottle caps, bottles, and food packaging. Research commissioned by RLG Polska shows that Poles are aware of the problem, as many as 91% of tourists notice litter during their stay at the Baltic Sea. However, only 4% admit to leaving trash on the beaches. World Cleanup Day is the perfect opportunity to give back to the sea for the wonderful holiday memories it provides. Cleaning the beaches together is therefore both practical and symbolic – it helps improve the quality of the environment while also raising ecological awareness and fostering a sense of collective responsibility for our immediate surroundings.

The participants of the initiative managed to collect 13 kg of plastic waste, 15 kg of glass, and 30 kg of trash classified as mixed waste. Altogether, that’s an impressive 58 kg of litter collected during just three hours of joint cleanup! As expected, the most numerous type of litter turned out to be cigarette butts, which filled a multi-liter jar!

As a thank-you for participating in the beach cleanup, everyone who collected and sorted trash received a gift from the brand YOPE, which supports the MARE Foundation’s initiatives – vegan cosmetics from the Waterfully line.

Visitors to the MARE Foundation tent could also take part in the CLIMATE MOSAIC quiz, an educational workshop on human impact on climate change based on knowledge from IPCC reports. The workshop was led by Katarzyna Król,  a certified moderator of this tool, who normally supports brands, products, services, and society in sustainable development, and on this day participated as a volunteer for the MARE Foundation.

CLIMATE MOSAIC QUIZ workshop.
Photo by Bartłomiej Chęciński.

CONCERT FOR THE BALTIC

To conclude the initiative, we prepared a special gift for everyone – CONCERT FOR THE BALTIC! On the beach, in the glow of the setting sun and accompanied by the Baltic waves, Crane Days performed – a singer-songwriter whose music leans toward contemporary folk, deeply connected to the sea and the Tricity area, where he began his musical journey. His concerts are a vibrant journey through intimate musical landscapes and a collective meditation wrapped in folk sounds. The concert concluding the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC initiative was woven from Crane Days’ songs that, in their lyrics, reference themes of water and sea voyages.

We thank everyone who participated in the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC initiative!
See you next year!

Special thanks go to the event partners – the Gdańsk Sports Center and Tryton Diving Center.

Report from the Crane Days concert concluding the WE CLEAN THE BALTIC 2025 initiative.
Photo by Bartłomiej Chęciński.