Prevent Plastic in the Mediterranean Sea

The focus of the initiative is to disseminate best practices, regarding plastic waste management and implement alternative actions in order to change the social behaviour and the behaviour of the tourism industry regarding the unsustainable use of plastics. The stakeholders of the initiative will be the local society, tourists, tour operators, municipalities, hoteliers, beach and sea users (fishermen and owners of boats). 

The project aims at:

Raising awareness through campaigns regarding plastic pollution
Informing local authorities and tourism stakeholders regarding regulations and ways to be implemented effectively in order to safeguard the beaches from litter
Organizing workshops to inform the hotel industry regarding sustainable practices and best ways to reduce their use of plastic
Organizing workshops in elementary schools to inform and engage the young generations to limit the use of plastic
Informing and engaging tourists to reduce the use of plastic during their stay in Cyprus using our working relationship with the major tour operators such as TUI and Thomas Cook

Main results of the project :

The initiative is divided into two parts:

Involvement of the hotel sector
Raising awareness among the general public, tourists and hotel staff

To involve the hotel sector, workshops were organised with the aim of implementing concrete measures in the establishments. During the year of the project, recycling bins were installed in 129 hotels in Cyprus. A document to raise awareness of the problem of plastic pollution was placed in hotel rooms. Fabric bags have been placed in 10 holiday rental establishments to encourage tourists to avoid plastic bags. Customers seem to have taken to the idea readily. At the end of the initiative, a new workshop was organised to monitor the implementation of the measures.

In parallel with the work with professionals, awareness-raising days were organised in schools and universities in Cyprus, and beach clean-up days were held to engage locals and raise awareness among tourists.

Updated 10/12/2024