Cyprus is known for its picturesque landscapes. But behind the colorful facade, an increasingly disturbing reality is hidden, when the nature of the island gradually turns into a landfill. Why is this happening?
Not all local residents are distinguished by a culture of handling garbage. Not to mention millions of tourists visiting Cyprus annually - not all of them are ready to remove garbage behind them. Plastic bottles, food packages, disposable dishes, cigarette butts remain after picnics on the beaches and in the mountains.
In popular places for relaxation, it can be difficult to find an urn. Tanks for waste processing are present, but in limited quantities. And the organization and the quality of the process of resaking itself sometimes raises questions. Reminders that nature needs to be protected is a minimum amount.
The law provides for fines for environmental pollution, but there are practically no real consequences for clogging. This creates a feeling of irresponsibility, because no punishment will follow.
What can be done?
- To increase awareness: to put the task of educating an environmental culture in front of the schools, to place reminders of careful attitude to nature in hotels, on beaches, on parking lots, on natural paths. - Help private cleaning initiatives: many NPOs are engaged in the fact that they clean the beaches and other natural zones. Support for such initiatives by local authorities, bloggers-influensers, individuals are critical. - Improve infrastructure: the authorities talk a lot about the need for separate collection of garbage, but usually this does not go further than talking. The introduction of the Pay as You Throw scheme is constantly postponing, and where it worked successfully, they decided to change the principles of the scheme.-To strengthen control: to increase fines for thrown garbage and levy them from violators, to finally introduce the position of an eco-inspector.
Each discarded package remains on the beach or in the forest for years. It enters the sea, in stomachs of turtles or birds. As a result, the accumulated garbage destroys what people go to Cyprus. Protecting nature is everyone's duty.
