'Adopt a Mediterranean Beach' project starts in order to combat plastic waste in the basin

Click to read the article in Turkish

WWF-Turkey started the "Adopt a Beach Program" which is a citizen science project aiming at obtaining scientific data about sea pollution by collecting and classifying the waste on the shores of Turkey according to a global methodology. 

The program was introduced on Tuesday (June 20) at the Erenköy beach in İstanbul. A model practice was carried out here where waste was collected and classified and the data obtained was evaluated. 

Cooperation with Tunisia and Greece

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has developed the "Adopt a Beach" program. The sea waste will be monitored according to the method used by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) of Greece. 

WWF-Greece, WWF-Tunisia, and WWF-Turkey will implement the project in cooperation and the aim will be to contribute to the solution of the plastic waste problem in the Mediterranean Basin. 

Volunteers, schools, and institutions will be able to adopt beaches and take care of them in the program.

20 million tonnes of plastic every year

Plastic pollution is an important problem that affects not only nature but also public health. 

According to a report prepared by WWF-Turkey published in January 2022, there will be more plastic in the seas by 2050 than fish. 

20 million tonnes of plastic mix into the oceans every year. 24 thousand tonnes of plastic is mixed into the seas in a year only in Turkey. (TY/PE)