The subject of the study is the ecological and economic mechanism for eliminating accumulated environmental damage in the Arctic. The purpose of the study is to develop recommendations for further improvement of the environmental and economic mechanism for eliminating accumulated environmental harm, including program methods. Issues of the state of the environment and environmental safety in the Arctic zone of Russia are considered. The main attention is paid to the formation of a program to eliminate accumulated environmental damage on the contaminated islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago and other territories. The methodological basis of the work is made up of applied research by domestic and foreign scientists in the field of environmental economics and environmental protection, and materials from geo-expedition surveys of contaminated areas. The results of the study consist in the development of a program for the elimination of accumulated environmental damage on the contaminated islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the preparation of proposals for further planning and organization of cleanup work. The main results of the study have found application in the practice of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, production organizations, as well as in the educational process.