The city of Helsinki is removing a large volume of contaminated soil from a daycare facility in Kruununhaka due to the discovery of hazardous materials.
The city of Helsinki is undertaking the removal of approximately 980 cubic meters of contaminated soil from the yard of a daycare facility located in the Kruununhaka district. This initiative follows the discovery of hazardous substances in the soil, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and oil hydrocarbons. Given the capacity of standard soil transport trucks, this translates to around 50 to 65 truckloads needed to clear the contaminated materials. If spread evenly, this quantity would cover half of a soccer field to a depth of about 15 centimeters, underscoring the scale of the contamination issue.
The environmental monitoring and supervision unit of the City of Helsinki has approved the remediation efforts at the Aleksin daycare. Such clean-up operations for contaminated soil are quite common in Helsinki, especially due to ongoing construction projects and earthworks. The proactive measures reflect a commitment to public safety and environmental health, and they often involve stringent oversight to ensure the proper disposal of hazardous waste and remediation of affected sites.
In 2025 alone, Helsinki recorded 42 decisions related to the remediation of contaminated soil, indicating a broader trend of addressing environmental concerns within urban development. The regular occurrence of soil purification activities in the city highlights the importance of maintaining environmental standards, mitigating potential health risks to residents, and ensuring that urban areas can sustainably accommodate growth while managing legacy contamination issues.
