In Upernavik there are large quantities of combustible and non-combustible waste at the dump. The mountains of waste should also be seen by citizens and elected officials in the rest of the country, says Upernavik resident Lars Eskildsen. That is why he has shared his photos of the waste on Facebook.
– Although I was apprehensive about taking pictures and posting such pictures so that everyone can see them, I also believe that the reality should be seen, he says to Sermitsiaq.
In Upernavik there are large quantities of combustible and non-combustible waste at the dump. The mountains of waste should also be seen by citizens and elected officials in the rest of the country, says Upernavik resident Lars Eskildsen. That is why he has shared his photos of the waste on Facebook.
– Although I was apprehensive about taking pictures and posting such pictures so that everyone can see them, I also believe that the reality should be seen, he says to Sermitsiaq.
Lars Eskildsen is operations manager at Greenland Airports at Upernavik airport.
According to him, the waste has become so extensive that when it is low tide, it is not rocks or land that you can see appearing, but waste.
– They have become huge elevations. The land is not that high, it looks that way as a result of the rubbish being piled up. When it is low tide, only the debris appears, the land and rock do not appear.
– The old houses worthy of preservation are constantly hit by the large waste and have it thrown at them, says Lars Eskildsen.
Concerned about health
The waste just lies in layers in the sea. It is not noticeably reduced, says Lars Eskildsen.
– I am 58 years old, and the large quantities of waste may have been lying in layers like this since I was around 30 years old. In my childhood, there was not so much garbage. In this modern age, in the age of technology, it is sad that it is like this, says the citizen from Upernavik.
For Lars Eskildsen, the mountains of waste cause concern for the health of people and animals.
– eiders have started to winter here, and they even stay at the dump. Geese live right next to the dump. The fish are in the sea, so there is a risk that we eat unhealthy foods. Through the food chain, they can spread it to other animals. And we humans eat them too, says Lars Eskildsen.
Lots of flies and no comments from those responsible
He believes that the conditions in Upernavik should be improved.
– I really hope that action will be taken, for the sake of our health. Now that the snow has melted and it’s summer, there have also been lots of flies again, says Lars Eskildsen.
Avannaata Kommunia is responsible for waste management in Upernavik. Sermitsiaq has contacted a member of the municipal council in Avannaata Kommunia and chairman of the technical committee, Sakio Fleischer (S), about the citizen’s wish for business to take place in Upernavik. But he does not want to comment on the case at this time.
Sakio Fleischer has recently sent an open letter to Naalakkersuisut, in which Avannaata requests permission to burn waste at the municipality’s dump as soon as possible, in order to avoid the waste piling up even more around the municipality.
In the open letter, Sakio Fleischer writes that the municipality has a waste plan, but there are still many tasks that must be completed before the plan is fully realized.
