The municipality turns around and gives rubber granules to the Oslo club – the MDGs are heating up

Second division team Kjelsås plays its matches at the stadium, which will be rehabilitated this year. The decision, after a proposal from the Progress Party, won a majority with Labor and the Conservatives.

City Sports Councilor Anita Lervik North (right) first put her foot down on the proposal put forward by Frps Magnus Birkelund. Then it was shown Hammersburg Declaration Which states that the municipality will continue to phase out rubber granules. It ended in a complete coup.

Following the decision taken by the City Council, Lerwick North Sports Council responds:

-We treat each other as equals. The Norwegian Football Association has stricter requirements for pitches used for matches in the women's top two and men's top four divisions, and this applies to pitches where the Conservative Party has granted an exemption for rubber granules, North told NTB.

In September last year, the European Commission adopted a ban on microplastics with an eight-year transition period. This means that the sale of rubber granules will be banned from October 15, 2031. The Oslo municipality decided in 2020 to reduce the use of rubber granules by up to 50 percent.

Article continues below adArticle continues below ad

Millennium Development Goals: – Another broken promise

The Green Party responded strongly to the decision.

– The Conservative Party breaks with its city council program. Obviously, this only applies on paper, not on the ground. It's too little, Oslo MDG Group leader Seren Staff tells NTB.

– It's another breach of a Tory promise that leads us to fill our fjords and our children's bodies with microplastics. She says it will take over a world with more and more microplastics in nature, and this will further contribute to that.

Article continues below adArticle continues below ad

The Northern Sports Council responds:

The MDGs and I share the ambition of phase-out. Oslo Municipality will phase out rubber granules, there are many reasons why we want to and should do so. This was also my answer to the City Council in this case. The Conservative Party has a long history of working for phase-out, with the city council leader, among other things, being a driving force, but we have also been pragmatists, most recently in last year's revised budget when Lane received relief through a verbal motion.

Article continues below ad

In addition to Lin, Skid also received an exemption in DC.

In Grefsen, the weather is good. The men's senior team is mid-table in the second division. The decision means a lot, at least to all age-specific teams in the sports team.

-It's been great for us. Now it has finally been confirmed that we can maintain winter operations at Greifsen Stadium for all our active football players, both at team level and at the top, says general manager Truls Nygaard to NTB.

– Reduces energy requirements

He explains why Kjelsås wanted so badly to get an exemption from the municipality:

– To ensure winter operation, we wanted to dispense with installing underfloor heating with renewable energy from geothermal energy, which is environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The challenge is that the plant cannot extract the same heating effect as gas or pure electricity. Nygaard explains that SBR filler significantly reduces energy requirements.

Article continues below ad

– What does Kielsas think about the environmental aspect of this issue?

-Our eco-friendly underfloor heating system with renewable energy is the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating system. Nygaard says a number of measures have been taken to prevent the road filling process from going awry, and this will be significantly improved and will be compatible with current requirements regarding track rehabilitation.