Under the new government, the Ministry of the Environment is proposing an amendment to the Environmental Protection Act that would ban dumping snow in the sea.
Henna Rinne, an environment ministry senior specialist, says that improving the condition of Finland's waters has received a lot of attention lately and the proposal to ban snow disposal into the sea is part of the government's program to address the issue.
"A change to the law is a pretty strong measure, but on the other hand, it ensures that the dumping of snow into the sea stops."
Along with snow, a lot of sand and garbage, like cigarette butts and micro-plastic particles from car tyres end up in the sea.
"This garbage has different effects on marine animals. Animals can get stuck in bigger pieces of trash and microplastics can end up in animals' digestion tracts and then back [to humans] in the food chain," says Rinne.
Snow sea disposal is not very widespread in Finland and is mainly utilised in downtown Helsinki and a few port areas. In other coastal cities, such as Oulu and Turku, plowed snow is dumped on land.
The transition away from the current practice will not be quick. The Hernesaari snow dump, currently in use in Helsinki, is scheduled to close in 2033, but if the government's bill passes, it could change those plans.
In 2019, the City of Helsinki agreed in principle that the practice must be abandoned. However, the environmental sea dumping permit granted by the Regional State Administration Agency is valid until 2031.
The government is scheduled to present their proposed amendments in April.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.