Target Groups
Community – Public Authorities – Entities
Pillars
Detection – Monitoring
Collection – Valorisation
Prevention – Zero Waste
Type of Litter
Beach Litter – Microplastics
Goals Achieved Towards a Plastic-Free Future
Beach clean-ups, microplastic removal and citizen engagement in Slovenia
Partners involved: UM (demo case leader), CLERA, NIC, Marina Izola.
Koper is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. It is connecting central and southeast Europe markets with the Mediterranean Sea and the Far East.
The Izola marina, located only a few kilometers from Koper, is a favourite destination for leisure boaters and the number of vessels increases every year. The marina has been a recipient of the Blue Flag for Marinas for over 20 years, meaning they uphold a globally recognized environmental label ensuring a standard of environmental, educational, and safety measures.
Marine pollution due to vessel maintenance and paint washing is currently one of the most critical environmental issues. These practices are releasing wastewater containing biocides, heavy metals and microplastics, resulting in problems and expenses for marina operators. Additionally, the washing process uses valuable drinking water.
In this demo, we aim to treat wastewater coming from marina vessel washing, capturing dangerous sea pollutants and ensuring they are disposed of using proper waste management techniques. Partnerships are considered with private marina owners, government marina operators, yacht clubs, and sustainable boating tourism operators.
The project will provide an assessment of current marine pollution through a number of methods: (1) by mapping large plastic debris on the seafloor, (2) by detecting microplastics in the sea, an (3) by monitoring macrolitter on beaches. Additionally, we will demonstrate innovative solutions to prevent discharge of litter into the sea, both through retaining microplastics in wastewater and engaging citizens with zero-waste solutions.
Inputs
Underwater drone, equipped with a camera for megalitter monitoring and a microplastic sampling unit
Organization of beach clean-ups
Seasonal beach litter monitoring using the REMEDIES App
5 zero-waste cosmetic marbles workshops
Microplastic removal system treating wastewater from vessel washing at the marina
Citizen engagement through workshops for pre-school children
Outputs
- Retain 99% of microplastics and other toxins in the wastewater
- Map 20 km2 of the seabed and determine locations of large plastic debris
- Organize 20+ beach clean-up events for collection of litter
- Contribute publicly available seasonal beach litter monitoring data from 8+ campaigns to the EMODnet database
- Determine the distribution of polymer types in litter on Slovenian shores
Location
Southern Slovenian access to the sea (Koper)
Basic data
311 km2 area, >100.000 tourists per year
