| Porthole 15 Nov 21

WORLDWIDE campaigns to clean up beaches have made our shorelines a lot nicer – even though the items collected still often end up in landfill.

However that’s not the case in Denmark, where a local authority has come up with the bright idea of simply dumping any rubbish collected straight back into the ocean.

The odd practice has been highlighted by Danmarks Radio which has published images (pictured) of a bulldozer which drives up and down the Stillinge beach, part of the coastal municipality of Slagelse, twice weekly during summer scooping up any trash.

Once its scoop is full the machine turns towards the ocean, drives about 10m into the water and dumps the contents into the sea.

Although officials insist the measure mostly collects seaweed to ensure a pristine beach for local swimmers, observers note that lots of rubbish from holidaymakers is also collected.

Environmental experts asked about the practice described it as “completely idiotic”.