Two municipalities are joining forces to support fishermen in changing their practices and replacing polystyrene boxes.
Small white rectangles, accumulated in boats or lined up on the quays: this element which is an integral part of the landscape of fishing ports will soon disappear from the Gulf of Naples, in Italy.
Two municipalities, that of Pozzuoli and that of the island of Procida, have joined forces to fight against marine pollution. Polystyrene is in fact one of the main factors in the presence of micro plastics in Mediterranean waters.
Thousands of boxes have been purchased to replace those used by fishermen, thanks to European funds. The sector seems to accept change well: “The new plastic crates will be washed and equipped with an electronic chip, explains Giuseppe Bucciero, president of the La Flegrea fishermen’s cooperative.They will no longer be thrown into the wild. There is a little more work but I think it is better for the future to try to protect the environment.”
The mayor of Pozzuoli confirms the good cooperation with the fishermen: “they support the administration in everything that can be done for the environment. They take change positively because they know that improving environmental protection also means improving their work“, analyzes Luigi Manzoni.
Plastic represents 95% of the waste present in the Mediterranean Sea, which is the sixth area in the world in terms of pollution from this material.
