NGOs tackle the rubbish

A “BEACH Clean-up and Recycling Workshop” event was held last Saturday at Güzelyalı beach, Karşıyaka.

Several non-governmental organisations, including Karşıyaka Turtle Watch and the Society for the Protection of Turtles, participated in the event, which was backed by the European Commission (EC).

“The event also marked that, as of 3 July 2021 as part of the EU’s Directive on singleuse plastics, the EU banned certain single-use plastic products, which are polluting our environment and seas, endangering marine life and harming our health,” a statement from the EU’s Lefkoşa-based “Infopoint” said. However the ban does not apply in the TRNC.

Kjartan Björnsson, head of the EU’s “Cyprus settlement support unit”, sharing a photo of the rubbish collected on Twitter, wrote: “This is what we managed to collect in one hour! Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this possible with support from the EU Infopoint financed by the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.”

There was also a stand handing out information leaflets promoting the EU’s green drive in English and Turkish, as well as caps, bags and t-shirts emblazoned with the EU flag.

Under the EU directive, the 10 most common single-use plastic products found washed up on beaches have been banned.

“Where sustainable alternatives are easily available and affordable, single-use plastic products cannot be placed on the markets of EU Member States,” according to the EC website.

“This applies to cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, and sticks for balloons. It will also apply to cups, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene, and on all products made of oxodegradable plastic.”

The EC says that such plastic items, along with fishing gear, make up 70 per cent of all marine litter in the EU.

The EU rules on singleuse plastic products “aim to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the marine environment, and on human health”.