Plastic pollution continues to pose a serious threat to the coast of Greece, reports the electronic edition of the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini", citing data from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), BTA reported.
The latest report by WWF within the framework of the marine litter monitoring program "Osinovy Beach", covering the period from 2021 to 2026. It states that the levels of plastic waste on Greek beaches remain far above European thresholds. For the first time, ecologists have also identified the presence of microplastics.
The "Osinovy Beach" program is an initiative that relies on volunteers, schools, organizations and community groups to collect qualitative and quantitative data on coastal pollution.
Its launch was in 2021 in Greece. The program has since expanded to the Mediterranean region. The initiative involves WWF offices in Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Italy.
Its long-term goal is to create a European platform for monitoring coastal litter and contribute to efforts to improve the state of the Mediterranean Sea.
Over 200 volunteers have participated in the program in Greece. They have "adopted" over 200 coastal areas, carrying out 637 litter surveys. From May 2021 to April 2026, volunteers counted 464,935 pieces of trash at 204 beaches.
About 80 percent of all trash collected was plastic. The most common litter item was cigarette butts, the data showed. Other commonly found items included plastic caps, straws and pieces of Styrofoam, the publication added.