Beating plastic pollution together

Beating plastic pollution together

World Environment Day, celebrated on 5 June, is the most important global date for raising awareness on the need to protect the environment

It was on that date in 1972 that the United Nations conference on the human environment was held in Stockholm, and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was adopted. Joining together in the global efforts to reduce plastic pollution, this year’s World Environment Day is being held marked under the slogan #BeatPlasticPollution.

To mark the date, the Public Institute of Krka National Park is holding a recycling workshop at Roški Slap on 7 June from 11 am to 2 pm. All interested visitors are welcome to join in, to make new bags out of old paper, and in doing so to contribute to reducing the use of plastic bags. On the plateau in front of the Šoster watermills, there will also be an exhibit of children’s artwork created using old plastic at our ecological workshop.

The United Nations have proposed that we change our system in order to reduce plastic pollution, by reducing the use of problematic and unnecessary plastic objects and to transform our economy into a circular one. This can be achieved by accelerating three key changes: reduce, reuse and recycle, often called the 3Rs. This is also the title of an educational workshop for children put on by the Public Institute of Krka National Park. The workshop was designed for children to creatively use materials that are usually considered waste.

Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced around the global, and nearly half this amount is intended for single use. Of this, less than ten percent is recycled. It is estimated that each year from 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our lakes, rivers and seas. This is approximately the weight of 2200 Eiffel towers. Microplastics – tiny plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter – are finding their way into our food, water and the air. It has been estimated that every person on the planet “consumes” more than 50,000 plastic particles each year – and much more if we consider the quantities that we breathe in from the air.

The Public Institute of Krka National Park has limited the use of plastics, by including a clause in all concession contracts for hospitality venues in the Park that all plastics for food and drink must be replaced, and food service made more ecological.

Single-use plastics that are thrown away or burned harm human health and biodiversity, and pollute all ecosystems, from the mountain peaks to the seabed. With the newest scientific findings and technological solutions, governments, companies and other stakeholders must strengthen and accelerate action to resolve this pressing ecological issue.