Climate project addressed the challenge of plastic marine littering in southern
European waters by building capacity in three Mediterranean countries: Greece,
Portugal and Croatia. The project is identifying the plastic marine littering issue at
the very beginning of its life cycle and on the prevention side that can lead to plastic
waste reduction and in consequence reducing carbon emissions from both production and waste management stages. The MEDfreeSUP project aims to set replicable
voluntary protocols for free single-use plastics food packaging adoption for cafes,
restaurants, foods stores, hotel, beach facilities but also public events and public
places in three Mediterranean countries: Greece, Italy and Croatia. The project,
which is ongoing, provides support and guidance to local business to comply with
the EU SUP Directive and to engage Mediterranean islands and cities in the
transition towards a free single-use plastic environment. This chapter presents the
key findings and challenges of these projects dealing the impact of single-use
plastics in Greece, which is one of the projects’ countries.
Keywords Plastic pollution · Marine litter · Single-use plastics · Climate-KIC
9.1 The Challenge of Marine Litter
in the Mediterranean Sea
Plastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic compounds made from carbon-based materials with specific properties, which are widely used because of their durability. Due
to this, plastics are used widely also in the packaging of food products. Management
of plastic waste is crucial, as most plastics are not biodegradable and remain in the
natural ecosystems for hundreds of years. Today, only one third of the 27 million
tonnes of plastic waste generated each year in Europe is actually recycled (WWF
2018).
The Mediterranean Sea
1 is a top tourism destination in the world hosting nearly
314 million international tourists a year, with European Mediterranean countries
attracting most of the tourists, but it is also one of the most affected areas by marine
litter worldwide, polluting its shores and pristine coastal waters (UNWTO 2014;
UNEPMAP 2020). According to a WWF Report (2018), the Mediterranean Sea is
today one of the seas with the highest levels of plastic pollution in the world,
accounting for 95% of the waste in the open sea, on the seabed and on beaches
across the Mediterranean. This waste comes mainly from the land and marine-related
activities like fisheries, tourism and maritime transport. Marine litter consists of a
wide range of materials, which vary regionally.
1 The countries surrounding the Mediterranean in clockwise order are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy,
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco; Malta and Cyprus are island countries in
the sea.
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P. Koundouri et al.
European waters by building capacity in three Mediterranean countries: Greece,
Portugal and Croatia. The project is identifying the plastic marine littering issue at
the very beginning of its life cycle and on the prevention side that can lead to plastic
waste reduction and in consequence reducing carbon emissions from both production and waste management stages. The MEDfreeSUP project aims to set replicable
voluntary protocols for free single-use plastics food packaging adoption for cafes,
restaurants, foods stores, hotel, beach facilities but also public events and public
places in three Mediterranean countries: Greece, Italy and Croatia. The project,
which is ongoing, provides support and guidance to local business to comply with
the EU SUP Directive and to engage Mediterranean islands and cities in the
transition towards a free single-use plastic environment. This chapter presents the
key findings and challenges of these projects dealing the impact of single-use
plastics in Greece, which is one of the projects’ countries.
Keywords Plastic pollution · Marine litter · Single-use plastics · Climate-KIC
9.1 The Challenge of Marine Litter
in the Mediterranean Sea
Plastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic compounds made from carbon-based materials with specific properties, which are widely used because of their durability. Due
to this, plastics are used widely also in the packaging of food products. Management
of plastic waste is crucial, as most plastics are not biodegradable and remain in the
natural ecosystems for hundreds of years. Today, only one third of the 27 million
tonnes of plastic waste generated each year in Europe is actually recycled (WWF
2018).
The Mediterranean Sea
1 is a top tourism destination in the world hosting nearly
314 million international tourists a year, with European Mediterranean countries
attracting most of the tourists, but it is also one of the most affected areas by marine
litter worldwide, polluting its shores and pristine coastal waters (UNWTO 2014;
UNEPMAP 2020). According to a WWF Report (2018), the Mediterranean Sea is
today one of the seas with the highest levels of plastic pollution in the world,
accounting for 95% of the waste in the open sea, on the seabed and on beaches
across the Mediterranean. This waste comes mainly from the land and marine-related
activities like fisheries, tourism and maritime transport. Marine litter consists of a
wide range of materials, which vary regionally.
1 The countries surrounding the Mediterranean in clockwise order are Spain, France, Monaco, Italy,
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco; Malta and Cyprus are island countries in
the sea.
136
P. Koundouri et al.