An innovative program to raise public awareness over single-use plastics, limit their use, prevent them from ending up in the marine environment and protect important habitats in Messinia with the sponsorship of Nescafe. The program included a series of holistic initiatives and targeted interventions implemented for the first time in Greece.
Research on the consumption of single use plastics
As part of the project, we consulted with professionals from coffee shops, hoteliers as well as with residents and visitors of Kalamata, in order to collect valuable data on the situation regarding the use of single use plastics in the area. The research concerned the consumption and recycling of single use plastics as well as the trends regarding the implementation of the relevant European directive in the region of Kalamata and the wider prefecture of Messinia. The survey, which involved 450 consumers, 15 central coffee shops and 10 hotel units, yielded some very interesting findings which led to substantiated proposals for action involving all relevant bodies, companies and industry.
A report with the findings of the research was submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Energy and to the Deputy Minister in charge of Environmental Protection, G. Amyras, and his staff.
Installation of a trash trap (net) in a river to prevent marine pollution
In the framework of our cooperation with the Municipality of Kalamata, we performed a pilot installation of a special “trash trap” net at the mouth of the river Nedontas on the beach of Kalamata in order to retain imported materials and litter before they end up in the sea.
Practically, the purpose of the net is to retain litter from the city, which would be swept away by the torrent and end up in the sea. The litter is collected by the cleaning services of the Municipality of Kalamata, while all the materials trapped are also recorded.
