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Plastic bottles are a huge source of marine pollution
According to one report, nine coasts have been identified as the most polluted areas in the Mediterranean.
They include the main tourist sites such as Barcelona, Marseille, Tel Aviv and the coast of Venice, near the river Po.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report said that all Mediterranean countries have underperformed in the management of plastic contamination.
570,000 tons of plastic are sown each year, the equivalent of 33,800 plastic bottles per minute.
The conservation group is calling on governments and the EU to dramatically reduce plastic production and increase recycling.
"Our plastic system is down, and not all Mediterranean countries are recovering all their waste," said Giuseppe Di Carlo, director of WWF's Mediterranean Sea Initiative.
"Plastic production is far too cheap, while society and nature are largely unloading on waste management and pollution.All countries must reform their entire supply chain … C & # 39; is the only way to keep plastic out of the Mediterranean Sea. "
According to the WWF, the coastline of Cilicia in south-eastern Turkey is the one that pollutes the most plastic in the Mediterranean, with 31.3 kg of debris per kilometer.
The other hot spots listed are:
- Barcelona – 26.1 kg
- Tel Aviv – 21.0 kg
- The Po Delta – 18.2 kg
- Valencia – 12.9 kg
- Alexandria – 12,7 kg
- Algiers – 12,2 kg
- Marseille Bay – 9.4 kg
- Izmir – 7.2 kg
The report also pointed out that Egypt was the main source of plastic waste in the Mediterranean, followed by Turkey.
High rates of plastic consumption by residents and tourists, coupled with poor waste collection systems, remain a problem in several countries.
Italy is the biggest bottled water consumer in the world, according to the report, with about 178 liters of water sold in plastic bottles per person per year.
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An Italian fisherman collected huge amounts of plastic bottles to recycle them last year
In its recommendations, the report stated that all Mediterranean governments should set targets to reuse and recycle 100% of plastic items, creating zero waste. He also called for the phasing out of disposable plastic items.
According to the WWF, marine pollution costs the tourism, fishing and shipping sectors about € 641 million (£ 568 million, $ 722 million) each year.
Unless action is taken, plastic pollution in the region is expected to quadruple by 2050, the statement said.
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The Mediterranean Sea represents less than 1% of the world's oceans but is important in economic and ecological terms.
It contains between 4% and 18% of all marine species and provides tourism and fishing revenues to the Mediterranean countries.
In 2015, Spanish researchers warned that fish, birds, turtles and whales, as well as tiny pieces of plastic – microplastics – had also been found in oysters and mussels in the Mediterranean.
Andres Cozar of the University of Cadiz said that the Mediterranean was "a large area of accumulation of plastic debris".
The researchers said that huge amounts of plastic were also found in other seas, including the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean.
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