Xinhua– Thousands of volunteers took part in a coastal cleanup campaign this autumn, collecting 13 tons of litter across Greece, the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) said in a press release on Saturday.
Under the motto “We clean our beaches, record and recycle marine litter”, a total of 4,560 children and youth, teachers, employees at municipal and port authorities, members of environmental organizations and divers carried out 89 beach and 16 underwater cleanups from September 17 to October 17.
According to HELMEPA experts who coordinated the campaign, 2.5 tons of litter have already been recycled.
Cigarette filters were the number one marine litter item collected from Greece’s shores, while prominent in the top 10 list were plastics and aluminum cans, according to HELMEPA.
