The Big Tengnagel Litter Project

The Tengnagel is a narrow headland, just 700 metres long, situated in the Kagerplassen, close to Leiden in the Netherlands. The circumference is one and a half kilometres (close to a mile), the watersides consist of basalt. 30 July 2017 I started to remove all litter washed ashore. Since then I’m repeating these sessions every so many weeks to get an impression of the influx of new garbage and whether the amount decreases over time. On this page are the results of each session, including pictures. Provisional conclusion: regular removal of all litter does not induce a decrease of the amount of litter. However, I may intercept garbage that would normally end up in sea.

Clearing session 1 – 30 July 2017

Picking litter along 770 metres, including 29 plastic bottles (one every 27 metres), soda cans, glass (wine) bottles, a garbage bin and a load of all kinds of foil, plastic bags, crisp bags, plastic packaging and so on. Also a lifebuoy in pieces.

Click to enlarge. If you want the original picture, please e-mail me! No copyright on any of the pictures. Please share.

: Only the north-western shore was cleared in this session

: The stone banks collect a lot of trash

: Most of the circumference of the Tengnagel has these basalt banks

: Willows defy the elements

: The lovely ferry “De Heere Schouten” also moors at the little peninsula

: The red line shows the part that was cleaned today

Clearing session 2 – 11 September 2017

I collected roughly twice the amount of the first session. This time I also scoured the south-eastern side of the peninsula. Today, the aforementioned 770 metres had at least the same amount as last time.

: This time I also cleared the south-eastern side

: The first bag was filled in no time

: Probably lost unintentionally, the bottle was still sealed

: However, with these ingredients I wouldn’t drink this either…

: Variation of strange finds

: Unopened tube of mayonaise

: Tennis balls are standard finds

: Again a variety of foils

: Today’s second yield

: DVD’s found during several sessions

: Disposables

: A deposit would make a huge difference

: Cheers!

: Cleared the whole circumference

Clearing session 3 – 24 September 2017

Less than two weeks after the last session I walked the full circumference again, this time accompanied by Hester, my wife. No decrease in amount, despite the rather thorough action of 11 September.

: The stones collect a lot of litter

: An unfortunate goose

: With this kind of weather cleaning is great fun

: Cat litterbox scooper with built-in stock of plastic bags

: Cleaning has a meditative aspect, especially on such a location

: Cows, sheep and geese are the residents of the Tengnagel

: Foils in any desired size

: Put a deposit on these too please

: One full, second being filled.

: Hester shows the volume of today’s finds

: Bizar variation

: Including tennis ball

: Pickels

: Pickels again

: DVD’s again

: And foils, lots of it

: We started with an empty bin

: Mysterious package only contained soaked cigarettes

Clearing session 4 – 14 October 2017

This time even a larger amount than last time. Makes you wonder. What if I wouldn’t do anything? Would the volume of garbage increase? Or would it blow back into the water and end up in the sea? Since the volume is more or less constant ever since the very first session this scenario seems not unlikely. It would mean that interception of litter indeed lessens the volumes that are transported to sea.

: Another beautiful day

: Disposable barbecue

: This was how I found it

: Another large yield

: Jumped out of the litter bag. Sorry! Brought it back to the water.

: The variation was enormous

: Yep, tradition

: Badly photodegraded disposable plate

: Toolset wasn’t complete

: coconut…

: Deposit system makes sense

: And please stop producing this stuff

: From the Coca Cola Company

: Two unused disposable barbecues

: Waterproof indeed

: Common find

: Packaging of the packaging

: Litter with a heart

: And another DVD

: A pair of shoes

: Water storage

Anyway, we just keep monitoring the Tengnagel. It seems that the waste is getting older, has been in the water for a longer time. This may indicate that more recent dumped litter is largely intercepted in previous sessions. Stuff that has been lying around in the surroundings for a longer time now seems to be more common.

Indeed, it all depends on the season, the weather, wind direction. The accretion will probably be less during winter, because there are fewer boats with people throwing their mess in the water.

Clearing session 5 – 28 Oktober 2017

Just two weeks after the last session another Tengnagel round. Apparently the litter of the Leidse 3 October Festival has arrived… 138 disposable cups that honour their name. 91 are Heineken, 28 have no print, eight from Grolsch, seven from Jupiler, one Brand, one Viteau, one Kornuit and one Bavaria. Apart from the shocking number of plastic cups also numerous other artefacts, including a 3D print from Madurodam (Miniature City in Scheveningen).

: Two weeks ago this place was clean

: Close encounter

: An almost full bottle!

: Full can of paint

: And this point I had no idea how bad it would get

: This is just the start

: No clean-up without balloons

: Mysterious package

: Contains a 3D printed visitor of Madurodam!

: The stone banks collected a lot of litter in two weeks

: pheasant

: Today’s yield, disposable cups not included

: Infinite source of tennis balls

: A couple of bottles with deposit!

: Full can of beer. Alas, Heineken…

: Pale meat

: 138 cups along 600 metres of shore

: Mainly Heineken

: A metre beer, but differently

Clearing session 6 – 13 November 2017

Clearly less litter this time, not even enough to fill a garbage bag. However, I do not take the full bag into account I found along the shore. The loose stuff appears to have been in the water for some time. Makes sense, because less trash is thrown overboard due to the lack of boats this time of year. Again a lot of plastic cups, Heineken being most common with 33 disposables.

: Beautiful moments

: Garbage bag filled with trash

: The well closed bag contained all kinds of garbage

: Overview of loose litter, so full garbage bag not included

: Yep, even more of these

: Once emptied it started squeaking

: 32 Heineken cups and some from Jupiler, Brand and Grolsch

: The contents of the full bag

: Ear label

Clearing session 7 – 3 December 2017

Large yield of especially foils, like chips bags, plastic bags and sheets. A lot of floating debris that has been in the water for some time, including a significant number of disposable cups. 15 Heineken, 6 Grolsch, 6 Jupiler, 1 Kornuit and 7 without print. The amount is decreasing, which makes sense since all cups are coming from the Leidse 3 Oktober festivities.

: Sorry, forgot to take a snack with me again

: … full wheely bin

: Empty wheely bin becomes…

: The bags in my bicycle bag were from an earlier action that morning

: The cups, still decreasing in number

: Several of these

: Coca Cola

: Unopened

: flower pots

: Traditional tennis balls

: First throwing the wrappers overboard and once the bag was empty also the bag

: A dike of foil in the top of the image

: From the south east bank

: PUR foam along the north west bank aong approximately 300 netres

: The north west side was relatively clean

: Today’s yield

: Against ADHD among others

: A full bottle of cola

: Hard to make a step without stumbling upon the next piece of litter

: The first bag was full alarmingly fast

: Last time I left this place without litter

Clearing session 8 – 26 December 2017

The last session of 2017 gives a relatively small yield of litter. Part of it is probably trash that was already there, but hidden from view by summer vegetation. This time the number of disposable cups was limited to 14.

: Disappearing vegetation reveals old depositions of litter

: Less trash than in previous sessions

: A recently dumped chips bag

: Hailstorm intercepts with rainbow

: Zwanburgerpolder

: Today’s yield

: From the south-eastern bank

: From the north-western bank

Clearing session 9 – 7 January 2018

The absence of recreation is noticeable, the downward trend of the volume of litter carries on. This time we managed to get only half a garbage bag full.

: Throwing floating timber on the bank

: Hester was browsing for litter too

: Tuna (tonijn) should be in sea, not a plastic container

: Thrown ashore by the recent storm?

: Looks like a lot, but is really a small volume

: Hardly half a bag full

Clearing session 10 – 25 January 2018

The garbage of the Christmas market in Leiden seems to have arrived, seeing the many recent disposables. Recent, because still clean and not covered in algae. It seems to have travelled from the centre of Leiden in the last couple of weeks to end up here and probably elsewhere in the area. Still, there’s also a lot of stuff that has been in the water for a long time, gotten adrift after the heavy storm of 18 January. Among the litter a lot of disposable cups. Today a record amount of rubbish, a total of more than two full garbage bags, large objects not included. Concerning those objects: they’re not only large, but also weird. See the pictures!