The Alarming Amount of Trash Polluting Italy's Beautiful Coastlines: An In-Depth Analysis

The alarming rise, in the amount of waste polluting the coastlines of Italy is a matter of concern. On average there are 961 pieces of trash for every 100 meters of beach. Legambiente, an organization in Italy conducted a study in 2023 by examining an area spanning 232,800 meters. The study revealed a 36,543 items of litter.

When people go for a swim in the sea they often come across objects. However certain items consistently reappear on the 28 beaches across Liguria, Veneto Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Marche, Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia,Basilicata,Molise,Calabria,Sicily and Sardinia that're part of the Beach Litter 2023 initiative. Plastic remains the material, with it constituting 72.5% of the collected litter.

Regarding the amount of litter found on these beaches it was observed that46% is made up by the10+1 items mentioned inthe Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive.This directive has been implemented by Europe to reduce consumptionof biodegradable and non compostable single use plastics.Italy adopted this directivein2022 withthe hopeof mitigatingthedetrimental effects causedby plastic waste along its coastlines.

The litter items that are frequently found on the beaches, in Italy have been closely monitored. Plastic fragments and caps are the leading items on this list. They account for 10.9% and 8.6% of the items found.

Following these cigarette butts (6%) plastic Q tips (4%) and Styrofoam fragments ranging from 2.5 cm to 50 cm (3.9%) are commonly discovered well.

Additionally plastic bottles, beverage containers, other plastic objects (3.1%) and glass bottles/pieces (3%) contribute to the litter problem on Italys coastlines.

It is concerning to see how much trash is polluting these coastlines with plastics being the culprit behind it all. The Single Use Plastics Directive has been introduced as a step towards addressing this challenge. It is important to raise awareness, about the types of litter commonly found on beaches in order to promote behavior and preserve the beauty of Italy.