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I can see two topics deriving from your comment. The one regards water which is neither managed nor protected, such as the underground water streams in Thessaloniki. The other regards the amounts of water necessary to produce certain products, which in some cases is far more that we would imagine, and as consumers we definitely need to have in mind this information. Which one do you refer to? Of course, both topics bear a lot of interest and could be developed and further worked upon.
@Tsarevo Municipality, that’s an amazing initiative. The switch to reusable cups should be adopted and encouraged by the parents and the teachers as well, in order for it to be sustainable!
Two weeks after the Final Conference of BSNZW, special congratulations and thanks to all lecturers and participants.
Ms. Zekiye Syuleyman, representing the administration of Kirklareli province from Turkey – the coordinating partner of the project, cited data that underline the extend of the waste problem in the wider Black Sea region. At the same time, she described an initiative, that is currently in process in 39 villages of Turkey located on the shores of the Black Sea, for the cooperation of the residents in the effort to recycle organic waste, through a reward and incentives system.
Ms. Tania Gouzouma, trainer of the organization ANTIGONE, presented the actions implemented in the frame of the program in Thessaloniki, while underlying that “we approached the issue of waste by considering all its dimensions, not only the environmental ones, but also the socio-economic ones. When it comes to solutions, we should understand that recycling is not the only solution“. Focusing on the voluntary clean-up actions, Mrs. Gouzuma pointed out that “by collecting waste, we can get an idea of how big is the problem. These clean-ups that we organized seem important, but they are nothing compared to the extent of the problem.”
The project partners from Ukraine also participated in the conference via web platform, as it was not possible for them to travel to Greece. The presentation was made by Mrs. Yelizaveta Turenko from the Institute of Market Problems and Economic & Ecological Research of the National Academy of Ukraine, who -after explaining that the effectiveness of the project was limited due to the war- underlined the importance of preparing a strategic waste management plan in the Odesa region, while also pointing out some changes in legislation that encourage the collection and management of organic waste by local communities.
On the Bulgarian side, the professor of the University of Burgas “Prof. Asen Zlatarov”, Prof. Valentin Nenov, represented the municipality of Tsarevo. Prof. Nenov, while describing the actions implemented in the neighboring country within the frame of the program, underlined that Tsarevo belongs to the regions of Bulgaria close to meeting the goals of the European Union in terms of recycling.
Finally, the MSc, PhD biologist Mr. Giorgos Blionis made an extremely interesting presentation on water management in Thessaloniki over the centuries, placing emphasis on the relations of the people around the Black Sea Region that are rooted in the past, as well as the necessity of the cooperation among them for the sake of the protection of waters and the prevention of their contamination. The presentation was based on the book ” Salonica of waters”, by Blionis G. and Tremopoulos M.We have witnessed a good practice of protecting the marine and coastal environment the past days in the area of Thessaloniki. The overwhelming amount of 40 tons of tyres were collected, removed and transferred to recycling facilities by a private company. The initiative was taken by the Head of the regional department of Development and Environment of Central Macedonia, while synergies were built with the project «plastic busters MPAS», run by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
An interesting question is if this initiative is included in an approved regional cleaning and remediation programme regarding the coasts of the area of Thessaloniki, how it is funded and if it will be continued with more supporting activities in the same direction.Thessaloniki: Thermaikos hid 40 tons of tires – The cleaning left everyone speechless
Θεσσαλονίκη: Ο Θερμαϊκός έκρυβε 40 τόνους ελαστικά – Ο καθαρισμός άφησε άφωνους τους πάντες
Sharing an interesting event for March 2022, on circular economy. We hope all members find it interesting.
https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/towards-new-normal-sustainable-products-sustainable-consumptionSome important findings regarding the situation of waste management in the wider area of Thessaloniki have derived through the project Deliverable D.T1.1.1 Prepared Zero Waste Management Guides (Parts Α and B of the ΑΤ.1.1).
In the context of this guide, in order to achieve a better and integrated perception of the current situation, qualitative primary research was conducted. Four stakeholders involved in Municipal Waste Management processes were in-depth interviewed in separated teleconferences: a member of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, a representative of a Civil Society Organisation involved in Ecology issues, an employee of the Cleaning Department of Municipality of Thessaloniki and the owner of a recycling private company.
They all believe that the most important problem of waste management in Greece is the fact that a high percentage of the produced municipal Solid Waste goes to landfills. There is a need for the development of modern structures and facilities for alternative and more “eco-friendly” management systems.
Another crucial problem is the lack of “recycling & reuse culture” in the Greek society. Civil Society Organisations and individual citizens should be informed and be made aware of more viable and eco-friendly waste management approaches and systems. Non-formal educational workshops organised by teachers or ecological NGOs – like the ones implemented within project ZeroWasteBSB – could help pupils to adopt more eco-friendly and viable daily habits for waste management in their lives.
The existing recyclable materials management “system” is not profitable for the potential investors, who are interested in running a business in this field. There are also illegal practice of collecting metals or electronic and electric devices, causing unfair competition with the legitimate companies in the sector.
Many steps should be taken and bureaucracy should be overcοme for the smooth and effective operation of the “Green Spots” promoted by the EU for “sorting at the source” of the recyclable materials.
Another key problem identified is in the assignment of responsibilities without subsequent control over the progress of implementation. In particular, the responsibility for waste management has been transferred to the Local Government without, however, a centrally implemented implementation control mechanism.
More details can be found here https://bsbzerowaste.eu/2021/09/01/a-t1-1-implementation-of-waste-characterization-research-in-target-areas/.We’d like to share our experience of the 6 clean-up field trips which ANTIGONE organized in natural sites in Thessaloniki, Greece, in BSBZeroWaste project.
With the active participation of more than 100 volunteers and the municipalities’ support we have managed to prevent almost 10.000 litres of rubbish to end up in the sea and limit their destructive consequences. Five coastal areas and one area near a urban creek were cleaned up.
The action proved that the active participation of citizens with the local government can have very positive results. The local Municipalities responded in all cases, offering bags and gloves for the litter collection, as well as a vehicle for their transfer in appropriate places, while they contributed with the activity’s publicity as well. We understood that sometimes it is enough to reach out, in order to get some help.
Regarding the people’s participation, there were some regular volunteers with us in almost every field trip. We also collaborated with local environmental NGOs and invited existing volunteers’ groups to the field trips. Travelling outside the city was note very easy, taking into consideration the COVID parametre, and the filed trips in those areas were mostly supported by local groups The clean-up activities in urban coastal and creek areas were attended by more people, while we even had bypassers stopping, asking about the activity and finally taking part in it!
Please share your comments and your own experience as well, we’d love to hear some more tips to carry out successful clean-up activites!
