PLASTIC bottles and torn and tattered umbrellas you might expect to find bobbing around in our increasing polluted seas. But washing machines? And car tyres? Surely there’s a limit to how far some people view the Mediterranean as their own personal rubbish dump.
Apparently not. Just take a walk around some of our most popular beaches once the summer season has come to an end, and you’ll be greeted by beautiful stretches of coastline dotted with the unsightly remains of holiday fun in the sun.
In response, a group of about 20 environmentalists from Nicosia have taken rubbish collecting to whole new levels. Not just content with removing unpleasant waste from the shores of our island, they are determined to dive into the very depths of the sea and remove anything detrimental to the underwater ecosystem.
Going by the name of the ‘Deep Sea Cleaners’ they have busied themselves in their spare time with two major weekend collection campaigns this past month, working on a purely voluntary basis. It was a trip out into nature two weeks ago that really shocked all the members the group, as hours upon hours were spent filling the back of six pick up trucks with piles of rubbish collected from the Akamas shores and seas.
The group first started their campaign 14 years ago with a clean up of Fontana Amorosa Bay near the Aphrodite Baths. Opting to keep a rather low profile, it is only now that they have begun calling out to the general public in a plea to change their ways. The group is determined to encourage the authorities to be more vigilant and enforce stricter laws when it comes to littering.
“One of our most unbelievable finds so far definitely has to be the washing machine we came across on the sea bed near the tiny island of St George,” said head of the group, Takis Panayides.
“I just don’t understand it. How could someone possibly just chuck such a thing into the water?” he asked. “I blame the people and their mentality. How can so many people be so very apathetic when it comes to polluting the environment?”
Other unwelcome finds include a car battery, fishing equipment, beer cans and a plenty of nylon bags. Panayides believes that families and groups of friends who spend time camping in the area are often at fault, setting up tents in places that the law does not allow for. Once in areas where no one can really see them, they often do as they please with their rubbish, instead of disposing of it properly.
Deep Sea Cleaners also suspect the private yacht owners who host night time parties at sea for the many champagne bottles, plastic cups and kitchen utensils the groups has found in the depths of the waters.
“I can only assume private yachts are mostly to blame because I know that other boats taking tourists on various tours of the area are very strictly regulated,” he said. Trying to recycle what they can, the group gives all the aluminium cans they collect to Cans for Kids local charity.
With the divers now working hand in hand with the Latchi Marine Police, they keep check while the group members attempt to pull the rubbish out of the sea. “We take various dives down to the sea bed and then pile everything we find onto boats. We’ll continue into the winter months if the weather permits. We’ll definitely keep on cleaning up the shores no matter what the weather,” said Panayides.
At present, it’s a race against time to clean up the beaches before the north winds set in. Panayides knows all too well that whatever litter is now left on the sandy shores will simply be swept up into the sea once the tides pick up.
The group is soon to launch a full day campaign to clear up Anassa Bay, helped by financial support from the Anassa Hotel.
“The Forestry Department also try and help clean things up in the area and we are happy that we’ve just recently received help from the Neo Chorio Cultural and Environmental Committee,” said Panayides. “I am not trying to advertise or boast about what we do. I am just trying to encourage the public to finally take responsibility for their actions.”
If anyone wishes to join the Deep Sea Cleaners volunteer group, they can do so by calling 22-432025
