Plastic pollution, which reaches increasingly serious levels globally each year, also threatens the coastal and marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. Single-use plastics constitute the majority of plastic waste, as more than 500 million tonnes of plastics are produced worldwide annually, with over half being single-use items. These products cannot be recycled and thus end up in waste collection sites, ultimately finding their way into the seas and oceans.

To address this pressing concern and encourage the development of solutions, EKAD, TÜRÇEV (Environmental Education Foundation of Türkiye) and Antalya Metropolitan Municipality launched the “Plastic-free Shores, Plastic-free Waters” initiative for the first time in summer 2023.

Our project aims to:
– Foster awareness and understanding of plastic waste;
– Emphasise the importance of individual choices in solving the problem;
– Introduce ways to eliminate plastics, particularly single-use plastics, from our daily lives;
– Initiate and support efforts in this regard.

The project consists of awareness campaigns for local communities and visiting tourists, utilising games and competitions designed for all age groups, survey studies, beach and sea clean-up activities where we collect numerical data, as well as informative talks. With our growing number of volunteers and new collaborators each year, we are determined to continue our mission to combat plastic pollution in Türkiye. As part of this effort, you can find below the digital version of the book we prepared for the project, titled Towards a Plastic-Free Future.