KRASNOYARSK, July 8. /TASS/. The Russian Geographical Society (RGS) jointly with the Defense Ministry began a new stage of the "Arctic. General Cleanup" near Khatanga in Krasnoyarsk Region's north. They will remove man-made waste, accumulated in the tundra over decades, the Taymyr Municipal District's administration said.

The first stage was in the summer of 2023. Back then, within two weeks, volunteers cleaned more than 3 kilometers of the coastline, collected more than 200 tons of man-made waste. A year earlier, the organizers announced another stage would be due in 2024.

"A new stage of the 'Arctic. General Cleanup' expedition has started in Khatanga. It is organized by the Russian Geographical Society <...> in cooperation with the Defense Ministry. Scientists and volunteers from different Russian cities are ready to clean the Arctic from man-made pollution," the release reads.

RGS volunteers will be engaged in cleaning and in scientific work, in geo-botanical studies of Khatanga's coast to assess the vegetation and the general environmental situation. The mission will continue to mid-August. During the expedition, the Russian Geographical Society has launched a new project - Volunteer of the Arctic, where its participants further on will join environment teams for work across the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone.

The RGS has been supporting projects to clean up the Arctic from man-made waste for more than 10 years. Since 2022, their brand has been "Arctic. General Cleanup." The volunteers have cleaned the islands of Kildin and Wrangel in Chukotka - about 300 tons of scrap metal were removed from there.

Khatanga is one of the northernmost settlements in the region, where more than 2,000 people live. In 2026, the settlement will celebrate its 400th anniversary.