The action continues with a great summer competition the public to pick up as much litter as they can from the beaches and claim a relaxation package for two at Casale Panayiotis Hotel & Spa. < p >In three events that took place recently on various beaches of the island, bathers and volunteers joined forces and managed to collect over 110 kilograms of garbage, as part of the “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free” project.
According to a statement, the events started with summer parties at the Plastic Free Beaches in Agia Thekla (July 28, 2024) and SODAP Beach in Paphos (August 11, 2024), where bathers had the opportunity to participate in competitions on the topic of plastic pollution, pick up trash and win reusable buckets. The events ended at the Beach Without Plastic Scooters in Paralimni, where volunteers from the province of Famagusta contributed to the cleanliness of the beach.
Essential, as mentioned, was the cooperation with the local authorities for the organization of the above events, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism as well as the tourism industry of the island which offered rich gifts to the participants.
The action continues with a big summer competition inviting the public to pick up as much trash as they can from the beaches and claim a relaxation package for two at the Casale Panayiotis Hotel & Spa. Those interested can find more information about the competition on the @sandseaplasticfree Instagram account.
In his statement, the President of the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Association (CSTI), Filippos Drousiotis, pointed out the importance of the cooperation of all those involved in the tourism industry, including beach users, “to achieve our goal which is none other than to we have beaches and seas, without plastics.”
The Director of the “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free” Project, Panagiota Koutsofta, noted that the average person unintentionally consumes 5 grams of plastic per week, i.e. the size of a credit card.
“This plastic enters the food chain, affecting both marine life and our health. That's why this summer, let's be the change we want to see. For starters, we can all visit our beaches with our own pagouri. And if this beach is also a 'Plastic Free Beach', then we will also have access to free, chilled and filtered water”, he said.
The project “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free” aims to involve the tourists, tourism businesses and locals in reducing single-use plastics on the beach front. The aim of the Project is to end up with less plastic in the seas, reducing plastic pollution.
The project is part of the Destination Zero Waste program of the TUI Care Foundation and is implemented in collaboration with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Association (CSTI). It seeks new ways of reducing and reusing waste, thereby creating new jobs and promoting the circular economy in Cyprus.
