A new plastic free beach initiative is being rolled out under the guidance of the Cyprus Environment Foundation (CEF).

The project aims to create an accountable Cyprus-based “Plastic Free Beach” brand and sets out to provide a clear set of criteria that must be met, in order for the beach to be labelled under the specific brand and bear its logo.

The aims of the “Plastic Free Beach” brand include making it easy for visitors to avoid single-use plastics and supporting local authorities in managing, designing and maintaining beach facilities to this end.

The CEF project, funded through collaboration with the Conservation Collective network aims to enhance the concept of ‘plastic-free’ by inspiring visitors to be part of the solution.

The idea is to promote active participation in the initiative by locals, who are also the most regular visitors to the beach.

The first goal is to tackle the pervasive and ongoing use and sale of disposable water bottles by making it easy for beachgoers to bring refillable bottles with convenient water stations providing free, cold, and filtered water.

Another initiative is the introduction of a “toy station” where visitors can access a stash of shared reusable toys, alleviating the need for parents to each bring their own, resulting in discarded and lost toys littering the beach.

Every local authority that agrees to organise a “Plastic Free Beach” commits to providing electricity and water for the water station and to maintain its filters, guaranteeing the water quality, as well as to regularly clean smoking areas and bins.

Around 80 per of rubbish collected from beaches on the island are plastics and per capita generation of municipal solid waste in 2020 reached 609 kg in Cyprus, one of the highest in the EU.

During the summer period the waste increases by 40 per cent due to tourists. Top waste items that are collected from beaches are single use plastic items, particularly disposable water bottles and caps.

CEF plans to host a series of promotional and awareness-raising events on the initiative and to publicise a list of beaches which have already signed up.

“Plastic Free Beach” is an initiative of the “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free” project, part of the TUI Care Foundation’s Destination Zero Waste Programme and is implemented in partnership with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism initiative.

More information on the project and upcoming activities can be found on the CEF website.