Cleaning up the paraffin on the beach of Schiermonnikoog is expected to be completed on Thursday. The beach of Ameland is expected to be clean again on Saturday, a spokesman for Rijkswaterstaat said.
On Thursday, a clearance service will clean the beach of Schiermonnikoog with special equipment. On Friday, the vehicle that sifts the paraffin from the sand will move to Ameland.
It is still being investigated how the substance extracted from petroleum ended up on the beaches. One possibility, according to Rijkswaterstaat, is that it comes from a seagoing vessel. Paraffin can be released when a ship carrying oil is cleaned.
According to the spokesman, the substance is only dangerous if you ingest it. People and dogs can get sick from paraffin, birds can die from it.
During the clean-up work, the beaches will be accessible as usual.