The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change reported that approximately 135,000 tons of plastic was found within the 180,000 tons of waste collected from the country's coasts between June 2019 and October 2022. Within the scope of the "Marine Litter Provincial Action Plans" initiated with the "Zero Waste Blue Movement," the entire sea surface in Marmaris and Fethiye was cleaned and 13,121 kilograms (28,926 pounds) of marine litter was collected.
The ministry said in a statement that the Marine Litter Provincial Action Plans initiated within the scope of the Zero Waste Blue Movement by the Department of Marine and Coastal Management of the General Directorate of Environmental Management continue uninterruptedly.
In the statement, it was reiterated that an activity report is prepared regarding the Marine Litter Provincial Action Plan and is submitted to the ministry with the signature of the governor every year so that the effectiveness of the activities and measures in the province can be monitored closely.
Plastic Risk
Every year, Oct. 31 is recognized as International Black Sea Day in accordance with the "Strategic Action Plan for the Protection and Improvement of the Black Sea against Pollution" signed in 1996 by Türkiye, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia and Ukraine, all of which have Black Sea coastlines.
The Black Sea is an ecosystem that struggles to exist while being subjected to several pressures, according to Dr. Ülgen Aytan, associate lecturer at the Department of Marine Biology at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University. "Due to invasive species, overfishing, habitat loss, pollution and climate change, this sea has undergone and is now undergoing significant changes. International studies on the Black Sea have shown that the region between Türkiye and Georgia has the greatest levels of plastic pollution," she explained.
Plastic pollution is a serious issue on a global scale, and its effects are getting worse every day, says Aytan, adding that the plastics that were first introduced to the oceans in the 1950s are still there; however, instead of being disposed of, they break down into smaller plastics and nanoplastics that contaminate more areas. They pose a major risk to marine life and public health by using polluted fishing products, both because of the chemicals they carry and contain. They mistake microplastics for food or accidentally eat them. Due to physical entanglement and feeding-related digestive system obstruction, plastic also kills other species, including birds, turtles, and sea creatures, she explains.
Aytan stated that they discovered microplastic in seven fish species and called plastic pollution "the fastest growing environmental challenge facing the Black Sea."
Elaborating further, Aytan said: "Geographical and temporal variations exist in this type of pollution. Based on research on the Black Sea, we can assume that there are around 1 million microplastics per square kilometer along the Turkish coast. The statistics are pretty high when we take into account the investigations carried out on the other Black Sea shores. There is at least one piece of plastic on the beaches for every square meter. Most of them are made of single-use plastics. We examined seven commercial fish species in the Black Sea and found varying amounts of microplastic there. They just keep falling apart."
Aytan continued by pointing out that a sizable amount of plastic was brought to the Black Sea shores as a result of poor waste management, unchecked coastal fills and unlawful excavation discharges.
"With urban wastewater, a large amount of microplastics makes its way to our oceans. According to studies, washing machines release an astounding amount of trash into the ocean. Six kilograms (13 pounds) of highly synthetic laundry can result in the discharge of more than 20 million microfibers into the ocean via sewage. The Black Sea Region is not currently receiving any additional treatment," Aytan explained.
"Deep marine discharge occurs in numerous locations where there is no remediation. Fibers are the most prevalent sort of plastic we find in the ocean. Again, fibers from wearing synthetic clothing, pieces of synthetic rubber from vehicle wear, and microplastic fragments from our shoes while walking all contribute to the airborne contamination of city dust. We routinely discard plastics in the ocean even though we are unaware of them and do not understand we make them," she said.