The demonstration wanted to point out the severity of this issue for southern Dalmatian islands, including the National Park on Mljet Island
Greenpeace activists presented on Mljet on Saturday 10-metre long props to vividly show where most single-use plastic ends up after being thrown away. A huge bottle, cup and straw were symbolically left to float in front of the well-known Saplunara beach on Mljet Island, Dubrovački Vjesnik reported on July 15, 2017.
“Beach clean-ups are a necessity, but are not a solution in itself. Shredded pieces of plastic are almost impossible to remove. It is regrettable that for the few seconds of once-off use we are permanently polluting the sea we love so much and the animals that live in it. Islands are the most beautiful part of our coast, and every year tonnes of plastic floats onto them. It is time we understand the problem needs to be solved in its root, meaning we urgently need to change our habits and wean off plastic for single use. For example, nylon bags, straws, bottles and plastic cutlery can easily be replaced with ecologically acceptable alternatives,” said Mihaela Bogeljić, leader of the Greenpeace campaign.
Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior III has been sailing for several days in the Adriatic to point out the problem of plastic waste pollution. Southern Dalmatia islands are especially struck with this issue, where residents, volunteers and visitors struggle with plastic waste throughout the year, including the area of Mljet National Park.
“Islands parallel to the coast, such as Mljet, Vis, Lastovo, Šolta and others have huge amounts of waste being deposited. Most of it plastic, which over time fragments and remains as microplastic in the sea for hundreds of years,” pointed out Hrvoje Čižmek, President of the Sea Explorers Society – 20000 miles, an association of scientists who documented the seabed of Mljet National Park together with Greenpeace.
