BLUEISLANDS Interreg MED projects presentation at the ACT4LITTER Final conference. How Mediterreanean islands are struggling to tackle tourism waste and marine litter?

1. Islands dealing
with tourism
waste
Brussels, 11 April, 2018
Francesco Lembo

2. BLUEISLANDS
IN A NUTSHELL
© unsplash.com
ISLANDS
STORIES
MAIN
CONCLUSIONS

3. © unsplash.com
BLUEISLANDS
IN A NUTSHELL

4. BLUEISLANDS
IN A NUTSHELL
© unsplash.com
 14 partners from 8 countries
 36 months
 2.75 M€, of which 2.34 M€ financed by ERDF
Monitor marine litter and
wastewaters on nine MED
islands;
design tools for anticipating
the seasonal waste generation
variation
Promote sustainable
tourism models through
policy making tools
(common guidelines; legal
directives; regional
strategies)
Examine financial
sustainability;
transfer sustainability
patterns in the tourism
industry

5. BLUEISLANDS WHERE ARE WE NOW
D.3.5.4 Seasonal concentration & characterization of marine
litter in selected beaches of 8 MED islands
D.3.7.1 Waste characterization study in Cyprus, Rab, Crete,
Rhodes, Mykonos, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta and Mallorca
D.2.11.1 A unique agreement, for Seasonal Variation under
the Mediterranean Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Protocol (ICZM) for Circular Economy Policies
Sep
2018
Nov
2018
Apr
2018
(measuring waste generation by its composition
and its correlation to tourist seasonal presence)
Deliverables and more are available on: blueislands.interreg-med.eu

6. BLUEISLANDS CHARTER
OF COMMITMENTS
 Presented in the European Parliament on
11/04/2018
 Signed by 12 local and regional authorities
of MED insular and coastal areas
 Support of 5 MEP and of SEARICA EP
Intergroup
 Strengthening cooperation opportunities for
MED islands committed to Circular Economy
policies
To become a signatory of the charter: blueislands.interreg-med.eu

7. © unsplash.com
ISLANDS
STORIES

8. The impact of regional policies
© unsplash.com
logistics – capacity - marine litter from neighbouring areas

9. Sardinia
2008 Regional WMP
© unsplash.com
 the Region sets a target separate collection
rate. Municipalities below the target have a
surcharge on the residual waste disposal
cost, while those above the target rate
receive a bonus on it
 increase of the landfill tax from 10€/t, the
minimum set up in Italian law to 25.8€/t
 Compulsory separate collection of biowaste,
target of 105 kg per inhabitant by 2018
© flickr.com© flickr.com

10. © flickr.com© flickr.com© flickr.com

11. The Sardinia case
© flickr.com
From 2003 to 2016:
Separate collection rates
increase from 3.4% to
60.15%
Residual waste decreased
from 500 kg to 176 kg per
inhabitant
© flickr.com

12. #StopSingleUsePlastic
small islands in Italy frontrunners of a national trend..
© flickr.com
 Less Plastic More Mediterranean 2017 Campaign, Greenpeace
 CNR ISMAR and UNIVPM microplastic investigation in water and trophic chain along the
italian coast 06/24/2017 – 07/15/2017
 01/05/2018 Tremiti Islands local council issues a ban on disposable dishes and
tableware
© flickr.com

13. #StopSingleUsePlastic
small islands in Italy
frontrunners of a national
trend..
© flickr.com© flickr.com
 D.L. n. 14/2017 Mayors in Italy acquire
greater autonomy to act against land
and environmental degradation
 New local bans in Lampedusa, Linosa,
Pantelleria, Malfa, Avola, Noto, Santa
Marina Salina e Pollica
 Bottom-up pressure to recognize
marine litter as a major environmental
risk

14. © stocksnap.io
The proximity effect

15. Krk Eco Island
© flickr.com
Krk Island’s municipalities
and Ponikve started a new
door-to-door collection
system in 2005.
Ponikve now separates about
45% of the collected waste.
© flickr.com © ponikve.krk

16. Krk - the strategy
© unsplash.com
1st stage, 2014-2016
⃰ organic and residual waste
⃰ separate bins to households
⃰ removal of street bins
2nd stage, ongoing
⃰ organic waste, paper, PET waste,
glass and other
⃰ 6,500 containers + 7 POSAM,
separate collecting points
⃰ citizens rewarded with 0.50 kn for
each packaging product
⃰ after 2018 waste will not be
allowed to be disposed in
Treskavac landfill
© flickr.com

17. Krk – tourist engagement
© unsplash.com
Households and hotels
⃰ Provide necessary bins for the
rented accomodations
⃰ Introduce the waste collection
system to tourists
⃰ Take care about separate waste
collection timetable
© flickr.com

18. Krk – Community
engagement
© flickr.com
#bluebagKrk
Tourists and sailors are called
to collect a bag of garbage
during the course of a season,
participate to a photo
competition and encourage
their friends to do the same
© flickr.com © ponikve.krk© ponikve.krk

19. © stocksnap.io
A large number of non residents
blurred target for informations - balance for treatment units
© stocksnap.io

20. Porquerolles - MED-3R
actions
© unsplash.com© med-3r.org
technical solutions tested at pilot
level:
⃰ 28 pre-diagnosis among
restaurateurs on type and rates of
generated waste
⃰ test of thermal waste composter,
and solar waste compactors for
non-recyclable waste on the
island

21. Porquerolles – engaging
intermediaries to catch
tourists
© unsplash.com
⃰ Experimentations with 13
restaurants and establishment
of a composting protocol
⃰ Making port authority the flag
bearer and voice against marine
litter and marine pollution
⃰ All port staff has received
training about environmental
management
⃰ Involving schools in clean-up
activities about marine debris
found in the port, with the help
of the local scuba diving
associations
© flickr.com
© med-3r.org

22. © unsplash.com
MAIN
CONCLUSIONS

23. Francesco Lembo
fl@acrplus.org
Future challenges?
 Ambitious standards, followed by
adequate incentives
 Poor/badmanagement of waste is
the main cause of its dispersion at
sea: increased dialogue and
coordination between the different
levels of public administration is
needed!
 Continued monitoring of policies’
impact
 Community engagement
 International & multistakeholder
cooperation!