Does Dugi Otok have a new souvenir?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reusable cups have been very well received by the boat operators working in Tela\u0161\u0107ica, as well as by their guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– Our cups keep disappearing from the boats<\/strong> because tourists want a souvenir from their visit to Tela\u0161\u0107ica, so they take the cups as keepsakes – said Kamil Mra\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, who brings guests on the boats Gostilja<\/em> and Moj dragulj<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses operating in the Tela\u0161\u0107ica area mostly responded positively to the distribution of reusable cups. – The concessionaires, as well as their employees, were very interested when we brought the reusable cups onto their boats,- said Martina \u0160pralja<\/strong>, a ranger who, along with her colleagues from Tela\u0161\u0107ica Nature Park, distributed the reusable cups to the concessionaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reusable cups, produced as part of the Plastic-Free Croatian Island and Wastereduce projects, will also be used at the island\u2019s largest event, the Saljske u\u017eance festival<\/strong>. – We plan to implement this ecological solution at the well-known Saljske u\u017eance in early August, – confirmed Lucija Grbin<\/strong> from the Sali Tourist Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some concessionaires, such as the Destina boat excursion agency, stopped using single-use plastics a long time ago. – The distribution of reusable cups to boat operators is another step in the right direction. We eliminated all single-use plastics from our boats back in 2020 because we believe that preserving the sea and nature is not a choice, but a responsibility, – said Ante Cukrov<\/strong> from Destina. How would you wash something if you don\u2019t have hot water? Ivana \u0160krokov<\/strong>, a representative of the Nevica Cruise<\/em> tourist agency, told us that these days she is figuring out where to place a dishwasher on the boat. – Until then, I wash them by hand – Ivana said, supporting Sunce\u2019s initiative. Implementing this ecological solution is a particular challenge on Sakarun, one of the most beautiful Adriatic beaches. The local concessionaires have neither electricity nor hot water and they power their operations using their own generators. Since last summer, we have known that everyone doing business in the protected areas of Dugi Otok cares deeply about preserving natural resources, as they ultimately depend on them for their livelihood. During a survey conducted among <\/a>concessionaires<\/a>, Sunce staff discovered that as many as 80% of respondents separate plastic, glass, and metal returnable packaging, but that the majority of them, 61 %, still use single-use plastics in their business. In the northwestern part of the island, the Decision will have to wait until new concession permits are issued. Be part of the change \u2014 become a member<\/a> or volunteer<\/a> with Sunce! Take part in cleanup actions like those Sunce has organized on Dugi Otok, and become an active member of the community. Reusable cups were distributed to concessionaires in the protected areas of Dugi Otok to reduce the use of single-use plastics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1250,5,1196,1181],"tags":[1052,1311],"class_list":["post-33230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-waste-from-the-sea","category-news","category-plastic-free-croatian-island-en","category-integrated-waste-reduction-strategies-and-solutions-in-protected-and-natura-2000-areas-wastereduce","tag-marine-litter","tag-reusable-cups"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33230"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33406,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33230\/revisions\/33406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sunce_wastereduce_dugi_otok-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"visekratne-case-sunce\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sunce_visekratne_case_dief-1024x640.jpg\")
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– Many concessionaires have recognized the importance of transitioning to sustainable business models,- confirmed the director of the Tela\u0161\u0107ica Nature Park, Kre\u0161imir Ra\u0161an<\/strong>, adding that cooperation with concessionaires is key to achieving the long-term goals of nature conservation and sustainable tourism in the Park area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"visekratne-case\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sunce_case_dugi_otok-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe challenges of using reusable cups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are also concessionaires who do not have enough capacity or the means to wash the cups according to hygiene standards but will try to find a solution. – We like the cups and we hope to find a way to use them on the boat in the future, – said Ivan \u010cikarela<\/strong> from Kanela Tours<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"dugi-otok-telascica\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sunce_dugi_otok-1024x640.jpg\")
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– We did not find people using reusable cups on Sakarun, unlike in Mir Bay, for example, – said Tea Kuzmi\u010di\u0107-Rosandi\u0107<\/strong>, head of the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Department at Sunce. On the other hand, Josip Brajkovi\u0107<\/strong>, chief ranger at PI Natura Jadera<\/strong>, said that he encountered positive reactions from the local concessionaires when distributing the cups.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSailing toward sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At an educational session held by Sunce in March of this year for all stakeholders in the protected areas of Dugi Otok, the Decision on limiting the use of single-use plastics for businesses operating in the Tela\u0161\u0107ica Nature Park<\/strong> was presented.
– The provisions of the Decision have been incorporated into the concession agreements, and one of them is the obligation to replace single-use plastic cups with glass or other reusable cups, – confirmed Ra\u0161an<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sunce_sakarun-1024x640.jpg\")
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Sunce has been involved for years in the sustainable shift of Dugi Otok. – Changes are difficult and do not always go according to plan, but despite the challenges, they are slowly and surely happening, – said Zanki<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBecome part of the change yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can also join the SoleSTerra<\/a> volunteer club, connect with like-minded people, gain new knowledge and experience, and at the same time contribute to environmental protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"slagalica\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Logo-Interreg-Italy-Croatia_WASTEREDUCE-1024x495.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"hublot-conservation-collective-depeche-mode-dalmatian-islands-environment-foundation\"](\"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/slagalice-1024x640.png\")
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