Welcome

De Milieujutter foundation is a non-profit organization, founded with the ideal objective of keeping the beach and the dunes of Terschelling clean of non-degradable litter.

Terschelling is a beautiful island in the sea between the Frisian islands (Wadden islands) and the mainland that consists mainly of nature reserves flanked by a wide beach that's over 30 kilometers long. The Wadden islands form a natural sea-wall. This part of the North Sea is a busy shipping route where an estimated 20 million kilograms of waste are dumped annually. It has been calculated that about 15% of the waste ends up on the Dutch coast, most of it in the provence of Groningen and Friesland.

This huge amount of litter is not only a disturbing factor from an aesthetical point of view, but it is also a serious source of pollution because it is largely composed of chemical waste such as paint cans, drums of highly toxic or corrosive substances, cans, fishing nets, plastic bottles, ropes, packing materials, glass and so on.

There is enough interest for valuable materials, like timber. It will therefore disappear from the beach quite quickly. What remains is a large amount of worthless litter.

This mess continues to be a part of the beach and will either gradually disappear under the sand or will be taken back to sea under the influence of strong winds and tide. This way, it will not disappear but will still be part of nature.

Annually, thousands of fish, birds and mammals are victims of this pollution. And as man is also part of the environment he will ultimately be a victim of the same pollution. It's quite clear that this cannot continue. We cannot let our children and grandchildren inherit this polluted environment.

Occasionally, cleanup activities are organised on Terschelling. But unfortunately they only last a day or a couple of days per year and also take place in limited areas. Although these are all very positive initiatives, compared to the enormous amount of litter, it's just a drop in the ocean.