The Municipality of Rethymno represented by the Deputy Mayor Mr. Stelios Spanoudakis has signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Region of Crete, Municipalities and Hoteliers of Crete for the sustainable waste management of the beaches and the reduction of single use plastics.
The Memorandum is under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy and was signed on Thursday 12 March 2020 in Heraklion-Crete. During the event an extensive consultation was held, under the chairmanship of the Regional Governor of Crete, Mr. Stavros Arnaoutakis. PLASTECO project was there and was presented to the event participants by Mr. Vasilis Myriokefalitakis.
The obligations of the memorandum signatories are the following:
Municipalities committed to:
• Include specific terms for the coastal and sea protection when tendering the “organized beaches” management (i.e. leaseholders have to provide separate collection points for recyclable waste and ashtrays for cigarette butts, to implement beach clean-up on a daily basis and to raise the public awareness on the pollution caused by plastics)
- Clean-up all the rest of the beaches, once a week
- Hotel owners committed to:
- Remove single-use plastics (e.g. plastic cups, plates and cutlery, straws, etc.)
- Replace the plastic bottles for take-away use, with glass ones, or reusable plastic or metal bottles for take-away use.
- Provide drinking water sources for bottle refill and provide incentives for choosing reusable bottles.
- Provide ashtrays at the beach.
- Train their employees and show their customers and tourist agencies their environmental initiative in the framework of this collaboration.
Region of Crete committed to:
- Monitor the implementation actions of all parties, report when the commitments are not followed and break the collaboration with parties that do not repeatedly comply with the agreement.
- Reward the positive outcomes
- Disseminate the initiative and its actions in Greece and abroad as well as on its official website .
