According to the European Commission, about 730 million tons of new litter, mainly plastic, are expected to enter the Mediterranean Sea every day. Particularly in the countries belonging to the Mena region (Middle East & North Africa), Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, a great deal of plastic waste is said to be generated, in which the tourism sector is expected to play a decisive role alongside local waste generation. The project "Tourism Marine Litter (TouMaLi)", which is supported by a consortium of ten institutions from science, think-tanks and companies, starts at this point in order to minimize the share of waste from tourism. To this end, an assessment system of marine litter pollution is to be developed to monitor beach litter and evaluate current waste disposal. In addition, legal, organizational, financial and technical solutions will be analyzed, implemented and monitored. Collaboration with and raising awareness of the issue among local stakeholders also plays an important role in the project, is said.
Together with the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), researchers from the University of Rostock launched the "TouMaLi" research project in August, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment with 4.2 million euros. It is intended to focus on designated pilot regions and serve as a model for national implementation after the project ends.
Sources:
- mopo.de (16.8.2021)
- recyclingmagazin.de (17.8.2021)
- Photo: © Pixabay / Sergei Tokmakov