Moves to tackle plastic beach waste

 

AN initiative to fight plastic waste in Cyprus was launched in Paphos on Wednesday afternoon.

The programme is being promoted by the Akti Project and Research Centre which is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation based in Nicosia.

The official launch of the campaign took place at 4pm at Geroskipou beach and was attended by the Spanish ambassador, Angel Lossada, representatives of the municipality of Geroskipou and volunteers.

A spokesman for Akti said that the project “Fighting Plastic Waste in Cyprus: The Chiringuitos Responsibilities” is being carried out within the Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) programme to tackle the challenge of plastic waste in the Mediterranean Sea and supporting innovative and socially responsible actions. A chiringuito is a Spanish term for a small business, often a beach bar selling drinks)

The initiative aims to raise awareness of the public and businesses on environmental issues, marine litter in particular.

“Specifically, the project is aimed at owners of coastal food and beverage areas scattered on beaches of Cyprus to become responsible for the protection of the beach, and to reduce the amount of garbage, mainly plastic, abandoned by bathers,” said a press release.

The project will be conducting a contest in which restaurant or bar owners will be evaluated on their management of plastic waste.

“We need to raise awareness in Cypriot society about the source and immediate consequences of discarding plastics at sea and at the same time providing innovative proposals to reduce the problem,” the organisation said.

Akti was established in 2000 by a group of experts in environmental issues and has created an extensive network of collaborators and volunteers which raise awareness of environmental issues and promote sustainable development.

The launch is part of an extensive information campaign being carried out in Cyprus.

“Owners are given a concise but comprehensive guide outlining the practices they can apply to minimise plastic waste.”

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.