Plastic Busters Cap launches Clean Up The Med campaign, on the weekend from 12 to 14 May 2023, one of the largest environmental initiatives in the Mediterranean, organized by Legambiente onlus, to raise awareness among citizens from all the Mediterranean countries on the problem of marine litter and on collective reduction actions. 

22 countries involved, volunteers from different cultures, 10 tonnes of waste collected from almost 24,000 Km of coastline in the last 3 years and also environmental projects, exchanges between associations, cross-border research and many new friendships, all united for the protection of Mediterranean sea. 

A network between all the countries bordering the same sea, to protect its waters and strongly defend it from pollution. From physical removal of waste in order to restore cleaner beaches, coasts, and reefs and to monitor the health of the Mediterranean coasts: this is Clean Up The Med.

This year, Clean Up The Med celebrates its 30th year by switching between two important European projects, both aimed to facing marine litter in the Mediterranean.

Actually, over the last three years (2020-2022), Clean Up The Med campaign has been carried out as part of COMMON project, during which more than 2,000 volunteers from 20 Mediterranean countries have taken part in beach clean-up activities, removing 10 tonnes of waste on almost 24,000 km of coastline.

This year's Clean Up The Med is promoted by Plastic Busters CAP - Fostering knowledge transfer to tackle marine litter in the Med by integrating EbA into ICZM, a European project financed by Eni CBC Med, with 1.1 million euros involving 7 countries: Italy, Greece, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, with the aim of fostering and sharing good practices to manage the marine litter problem in the Mediterranean.

"For the University of Siena and Plastic Busters Cap, supported by Union for Mediterranean, the Clean Up the Med event represents an important bridge between the two Mediterranean sides” - Maria Cristina Fossi, Scientific Director of the Plastic Busters Cap Project comments. This awareness action is strictly linked to the sea monitoring activities using harmonised techniques between the two sides of the Mediterranean sea. From Plastic Buster MPA project, then it developed in the southern Mediterranean with the Common project, and finally disseminated and validated in many countries through Plastic Busters Cap initiative. Clean Up The Med is a 30-year-long process and for the last 10 years, together with the Plastic Busters programmes, it has built a work that today allows the use of the same language and a common methodology that guarantees a greater dialogue between the Mediterranean countries and an important basis for common mitigation actions".

“Thirty years of active mobilisation. From Egypt to Algeria, from Greece to Portugal, for a common battle that unites everyone for a cleaner and healthier Mediterranean. This is our Clean Up The Med," Giorgio Zampetti, general director of Legambiente comments. "A moment in which prevails synergy that makes us aware of incorrect and environmentally harmful habits, and of local and national institutions so that they cooperate to apply common waste management and disposal policies”.

For the Clean Up The Med 2023 edition, over than 80 organizations from 16 countries have joined the initiative: Italy, Algeria, Albania, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Croatia, Malta, Turkey, Libya, Greece, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Palestinian Authority and Jordan for a mobilization weekend on 12-14 may that will involve associations, universities, municipalities, public bodies, schools, and citizens.

Join us by register at the following link: https://bit.ly/42iR0d1

Download the brochure