EU representatives will team with local communities throughout the rest of September to clear beaches of waste in the #EUBeachCleanUp campaign.
The campaign, which launched on 19 August, has already seen beach cleaning events take place in 80 countries worldwide, organised by the EU and the United Nations. Further #EUBeachCleanUp events are scheduled through September, with local volunteers engaging in activities co-ordinated in partnership with local authorities, schools; and public and private bodies, to collect litter from beaches and shorelines. The EU hopes its campaign will help engage citizens and raise awareness of the pressing issue of litter and plastic pollution: more than eight million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped in the sea every year.
Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said: “The European Union has some of the most ambitious policies to fight marine pollution in the world. Together with the United Nations, we want our oceans to be cleaner and healthier – in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 [which commits participants to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’]. This year, we have a new partner: the Smurfs. Blue, brave and with an exceptional appeal to young and old, they are the ideal partners of our campaign. Join our events and help us build a global wave of ocean activism!”
The #EUBeachCleanUp website says of its campaign partner: ‘For more than 60 years, the Smurfs have communicated universal values such as solidarity, courage, tolerance, work, respect for nature and the environment. These values transcend age, gender and cultures. It is thus quite natural that the Smurfs are involved in the cleaning of oceans and beaches.’
The #EUBeachCleanUp campaign forms part of the EU’s Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, which aims to cut the use of single-use plastics and promote the use of recycled plastic in manufacturing new products.
