WASTE
Keeping Bodrum blue
Marine litter is one of major threats in the Mediterranean and poses major environmental, health, aesthetic and economic problems. Awareness actions such as seabed cleaning campaign is a way of coping with it.
Tags: Sustainable Tourism, Natural Protection, Waste Managment
Challenges addressed
- Maintaining clean the seabed of the Gulf of Gökova and Bodrum Peninsula beaches. A way of preserving the environment of one of major tourist destinations in Turkey.
- A clean environment is a way of keeping its attractiveness and, hence, its economy, mostly depending on its role as a Tourist and Yachting Centre.
Main objectives
- Development of environmental awareness
- Involvement of sea-users: diving team composed by volunteers of the city
- Guarantee the Blue Flag Label for its beaches and marinas
- Clean the Seabed, make the sea rid of improper elements
Facts
Project type Waste, marine litter
Promoter Bodrum’s Municipality
Site size 174 Km shoreline of Bodrum Municipality
Start date 2016
Kind of litter Glass bottles, plastics, bulk waste
Website http://bodrum.bel.tr
Project description
Every year, after the tourist season, a volunteer diving team of around 12-13 divers and two boats organized by the municipality and supported by Bodrum Seamen association and Barbaros Yachting takes care of the cleaning of the seabed of major touristic places: beaches and marinas.
The seabed cleaning project is linked to the memories-novel of a fisherman writer from Halikarnas, title Blue Voyage, and is named after him: “Following the Footsteps of Cevat Şakir in Gökova”. The campaign lasts about one week, and the collection of waste is about 500kg, mainly composed by glass bottles and plastics. From time to time they also collect bulk waste, unusual things, like a satellite dish and a wheelbarrow.
Impact and results
- 500 Kg of collected waste
- 13 divers
- 2 wooden boats
- Around 150.000 Inhabitants and 1.400.000 Tourists per year
- 66 Blue Flagged beaches and 3 Marinas
- Waste management, create a sense of awareness of the marine litter among citizens
- Community environmental commitment
- Economic influence of environmental actions
