in-cyprus 28 August 2023- by Stelios Marathovouniotis
Volunteers on Sunday collected over 100 kilos of rubbish from Limassol’s Lady’s Mile beach.
According to a press release by the Cyprus Ecological Movement which organised the beach cleanup along with the NGOs Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), RESET Cy and the youth wing of the Green Party, the participants managed to amass an impressive 107 kilograms of litter in just one hour.
This cleanup shed light on the composition of the debris, revealing that a staggering 68% of the waste collected was comprised of plastic materials. Cigarette butts accounted for a significant portion of the plastic waste, making up 43% of the total refuse. In addition to this, fragments of plastic and paper were also among the collected materials, stressing the pressing need for responsible waste disposal, the Ecological Movement of Cyprus noted.
Natasa Ioannou, the General Secretary of the Ecological Movement, expressed her observations: “The documentation of waste on our beaches underscores our deep-seated concerns regarding waste management along our cherished coastlines,” she noted. “The Lady’s Mile area is significantly overwhelmed by development, and we unfortunately have borne witness to subpar waste management practices.”
The sheer volume of waste collected—exceeding 100 kilograms, with 40 kilograms constituting bulkier items—paints a concerning picture of the challenges faced in protecting this unique environment, Ioannou stressed.
