Greenpeace Croatia presented a six-metre installation called “The plastic wave” at Trg kralja Tomislava in Zagreb today. The installation is part of the European campaign to ban non-reusable plastics and all citizens were invited to have their photo taken with the wave and sign the petition “Spasimo Mediteran od najezde plastike!” (Let’s save the Mediterranean from a plastic invasion) addressed to the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
“The plastic wave” installation was inspired by a photo of a surfer riding a wave with plastic waste floating around him and it is a symbol of the pollution of our seas and oceans. In addition to Croatia, the campaign takes place in Spain, Greece, Italy and Bulgaria and its aim is to prompt relevant EU institutions to make amendments to Waste Framework Directive and the new Strategy for Plastics.
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Even though none of the relevant ministry or parliamentary committee representatives visited the event, Zoran Tomić, Greenpeace Croatia director invited the Croatian Government to push for strict measures for plastic waste reduction because we owe it to the Adriatic and our citizens.
Non-reusable plastic, which is produced more and more in Croatia, is a big problem, especially considering that Croatia recycles only 16% of the waste produced in the country, while the European average is 43%. Most plastic waste that ends up in the ocean comes from the land (80%) and it takes hundreds of years for it to degrade, making our seas the biggest garbage dumps in the world and endangering the animals living in them.
“It’s time to put an end to this! The aim of this campaign is to protect the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, which can be done by passing laws to ban non-reusable plastics, changing our habits, and making manufacturers more responsible for the effects of their products. We invite citizens to sign the petition and use reusable shopping bags – this way, they too can make a difference,” Mihaela Bogeljić, campaign manager said.
You can sign the petition by clicking here.
