On June 2, following the third international workshop “Marine Litter Monitoring, Removal and Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities” co-organized by CNR ISMAR and VLPF at the Venice Boat Show, VLPF conducted the third and final joint clean up and environmental monitoring between the H2020 MAELSTROM and InNoPlastic projects.
The initiative involved a significant triangulation between Venice’s historic center, the mainland areas and the lagoon eaves, also ideally connecting the different souls of our territory. In particular, the initiative aimed to free from the presence of garbage: the Secca di S.Alvise in which a monitoring was also carried out, the Island of Lazzaretto Nuovo and the Mestre-Vempa Overpass Underpass.
The main objective was the removal of all types of waste, especially plastic waste, that invades lagoon areas, waterways and land. The event aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues while promoting sustainability and interculturalism, given the multiple nationalities present.
The initiative, promoted by Venice Lagoon Plastic Free in collaboration with several national and international actors, included the partners of the EU H2020 projects MAELSTROM and InNoPlastic, as well as VERITAS, the associations sensitive to the sustainable development of the Venetian territory and its lagoon Legambiente, Poseidone, WWF, the Italian Red Cross – Venice Committee. These partnerships made it possible to involve various local and international entities and to promote joint action for the environment.
Overall, the total number of participants was about 100 people of different ages and six different nationalities: Italian, Norwegian, Croatian, Dutch, Belgian, English, Portuguese. During the event, a total of 1335.72 kilograms of waste was collected, among which, from the monitoring of the Secca di Sant’Alvise stand out thousands of glass and ceramic fragments larger than 2.5 cm, hundreds of plastic bags and sacks, and as many plastic bottles. This is alarming data considering the limited monitored area of 100 linear meters.
The initiative was supported by WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities program, of which Venice is a signatory. In addition, the use of two specific apps generated by the MAELSTROM and InNoPlastic projects served as support in organizing, monitoring and storing data during the activity carried out. A portion of the collected waste will be recycled experimentally through innovative processes in the context of the MAELSTROM project.
In order to gain a better understanding of the public’s awareness of marine pollution, an anonymous survey available in several languages was offered to the public, isdeveloped as part of the InNoPlastic project. The data collected will be very useful in developing more effective awareness and communication strategies. Do your part and fill it out now!
Data on waste collected during Clean-Up Day, can now be accessed on InNoPlastic’s smart dashboard.
The dashboard provides a detailed overview of clean-up activities and results, offering an aggregating platform for the data collected during our campaigns. Using this resource, you can analyze and evaluate the impact of our activities and draw valuable lessons for our future marine and terrestrial waste removal and monitoring initiatives.