In Stari Grad on Island Hvar, this year’s Advent event Vrime od Božića u Storemu Grodu was organized without single use plastic with the goal of reducing plastic pollution in the Adriatic and Mediterranean sea.
In order to educate the public about the impact of plastic pollution on the marine environment and to familiarize citizens with alternative solutions for single use plastic products on Saturday, December 18, the Sunce Association presented to citizens reusable products at Tvrdalj Square.
With the help of colleagues from the Friends of the Earth Croatia (ZA), we exhibited and distributed to interested citizens examples of reusable cups and bottles, metal and silicone straws, cutlery, bags, backpacks and aprons for fishermen. We also presented an alternative replacement for styrofoam cassettes, an innovative fish cassette donated to us by colleagues from Italy.
We invited all present citizens to join our campaign Together without plastic and to bring their reusable drinking glasses to all events during the Vrime od Božića u Storemu Grodu event.
At the event, approximately 100 disposable glasses per day are consumed in one Christmas house, and in case we all use reusable solutions, we are saving of 3,000 glasses per house. In the city of Stari Grad we have 2 Christmas houses which would be 6,000 glasses less in landfills, this year alone.
It is estimated that 80% of marine litter comes from land and land-based activities, which is why Komunalno Stari Grad d.o.o. within the project For plastic free Croatian Islands is actively working on the implementation of sustainable waste management measures based on the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle.
Therefore, at the Advent, you will find waste containers for sorting out plastic, paper and municipal waste. It is important to note that biodegradable glasses used on Advent should be disposed in municipal, not paper waste containers.
In the sea, large pieces of plastic injure, suffocate and often kill sea animals, including protected and endangered species such as sea turtles, and an even bigger problem is microplastics. With educational games, we showed children, but also adults, how sea animals feel when they get entangled in fishing nets, and with a magnifying glass they tried to count microplastics.
In addition to the presentation of alternative products, we also organized a beeswax workshop which, with mentorship, was led by a volunteer of the Sunce Association within the European Solidarity Corps program. The workshop, intended for children and adults, showed all those interested how easily you can make a completely natural, ecological and biodegradable substitute for plastic and aluminum foils.
This event was organized as part of the project For plastic free Croatian Islands, funded by the Beyond Med Association, and in cooperation with the City of Stari Grad and the Komunalno d.o.o., utility company.
Citizens were extremely interested in the project For plastic free Croatian Islands, so we planned future events for the public and new workshops for kindergarten and school children.
The project holder is the Association Sunce, and the partners are the City of Stari Grad (Island of Hvar), the Municipality of Sali (Island of Dugi Otok) and the Friends of the Earth Croatia (ZA).
Project is financed by Beyond Med Association.
