STRAWCO Session at the UArctic Congress Showcased Best Practices in Arctic Solid Waste Management
During the 2026 UArctic Congress, the STRAWCO project at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland hosted a session titled “Sustainable Solid Waste Management in the Arctic: Governance, Innovation, and Local Solutions.”
Funded by the Nordic Arctic Program (NAPA), STRAWCO aims to enhance regional collaboration on solid waste management (SWM), promote sustainable circular solutions, encourage innovation, skills development, and networking throughout the Arctic. The session was organized in cooperation with the UArctic Law Thematic Network and the Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education.
The session gathered scholars from various scientific disciplines and a photographer to discuss:
- cross-border collaboration between municipalities and waste companies;
- human stories and emerging practices of stewardship, resilience, and civic engagement in tackling marine litter in Svalbard;
- the use of pyrolysis to facilitate biochar applications in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
As awareness and cooperation regarding Arctic SWM grow, STRAWCO contributes to broader discussions on governance and development strategies that foster thriving Arctic communities.
Moderated by Prof. Kamrul Hossain, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, the panelists included:
Dr. Nadezhda Filimonova, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland: Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Collaboration in Sustainable Waste Management in the Arctic.
Maurizio Milesi, independent documentary photographer: Arctic Plastic.
Juliette Lepley, Environmental Analytics, Agroscope, Switzerland, and Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences: Pyrolysis for Arctic waste management – Opportunities and case study: revalorization of brewer’s spent grains into biochar in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
Stay updated on further progress from the STRAWCO project from the following link: https://research.ulapland.fi/en/projects/strengthening-the-transfer-of-good-practices-in-the-arctic-waste-/