On Earth Day, the largest environmental action in the history of Croatia was organized in 70 locations across Croatia! As many as 8,000 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and collected 250 tons of waste as part of the environmental project of Večernji list – Rezolucija Zemlja (Resolution Earth). In the organization of Sunce, at the mouth of the Neretva, 105 kilograms of waste was collected on 100 meters of the sandy beach in just two hours.
With the help of Sunce employees, volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Nature Areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the Komin Kiteboarding Center, the FC Neretvanac Youth School, and the Tinker Labs school from Metković, the cleaning was done at full steam.
Around 50 people participated in the cleaning and monitoring of waste. Among them were 30 children aged six to eight.
– Of course, we responded to the Rezolucija Zemlja campaign; this beach is in our backyard. It is also important to educate children about the harmful effects of marine debris on plant and animal life. – said Katarina Tošić from Tinker Labs Metković.
Before the start of the cleanup campaign, Sunce employees held a short education about marine waste, which made the whole activity even more interesting for the children.
– The most interesting object we found was a large plastic bucket deeply buried in the sand. At first, we thought it was a plastic cup. But since we couldn’t get it out, we dug for almost 10 minutes and finally pulled out a big bucket. – told us the soccer players of FC Neretvanac.
The collected waste mainly consisted of plastic items, such as bottles, cans, straws, large rubber parts, children’s chairs, and beach chairs. After the waste was collected, its components were counted by type and weight.
Condition monitoring is the continuous collection of data on the type and amount of waste that is collected through clean-up actions, such as Rezolucija Zemlja.
– We list all collected items from 100 meters of the beach. These data serve us in advocating for the creation of future plans and measures for marine waste. It is not enough just to clean. It is necessary to find the source of the waste and stop its flow into the environment. – said Maja Golem, an expert associate of Sunce.
A simplified protocol for monitoring the state of waste from the sea is available to everyone at the link.
The Kiteboarding Center regularly cleans this beach and just recently they cleaned it themselves. If they didn’t, the amount of collected waste would certainly be terrifying.
– We really try to work and live in this location in harmony with nature, and we clean regularly. Our problem is the lack of trash cans on the beach and the fact that the City of Ploče does not provide waste collection services from this location. – explained the member of the Kiteboarding Center.
Sunce already joined the Rezolucija Zemlja campaign last year when approximately the same amount of waste was collected.
Plastic waste prevailed, but still somewhat different than this year. Read more HERE.
– Since 2018, Sunce has been cleaning this beach and collecting scientific data. Our goal is to preserve nature and the environment and to encourage others to join the fight against pollution. Some of the participants have already asked when the next cleaning action will be held. People notice the necessity of them and that the waste in the environment is unbearable. – concluded Maja Jurić, manager of Sunce communications.
In addition to cleaning and monitoring, Sunce also organizes educational workshops and implements services and projects aimed at promoting sustainable development and protecting nature and the environment. Become a Sunce member and already tomorrow, by participating in our various activities, you can contribute to the community and encourage positive changes in the environment.