Where does all of the rubbish come from?

[Trigger]

Parked the car up on the old coast road near Kaplica yesterday and went for a lovely walk in the winter sun. Beautiful blue sky, the most beautiful blue colours in the sea, mountain backdrops, old abandoned buildings that add a rustic charm. I’ve done my fair share of travelling and North Cyprus is up there with the most beautiful of places in its own way.

However, the amount of rubbish / trash that is about is unbelievable. The beaches are literally covered in plastic, glass, tins etc. It is such a shame. Where does it all come from? The sea? Locals? Toruists? Culture? A result of the lack of lack of waste management on offer?

What are other countries’ beaches like around the Mediterranean? Do they suffer from the same problems? I don’t recall seeing as much rubbish on beaches in Turkey, Greece, Spain, Italy etc.

It’s all very frustrating.

[Thecanz59]

Hi Trigger,
Yes, very frustrating. My place is near the Elexus hotel, just before Alagadi. I like to walk in the farming areas near the reservoir. However, the walk is marred by 3 or 4 places that can only be described as fly tip sites. Theses are obviously not caused by tourists. One of the farms has a large amount of broken toilets etc and another a collection of clapped out sun beds. However, as the land is owned by the Acapulco, I guess it is their right to use as they see fit?
On the positive side, Alagadi beach has improved considerably and there seems to be regular clean ups with some large bins in the parking areas.
North Cyprus now appears to be getting inline with current practices regarding plastic shopping bags. Maybe this will lead to some cultural changes in the way the locals think about litter and recycling in general? This would definitely help with tourism.
Let's hope so, as you say the country has its own charm and beauty.
Bill

[snd1966]

Its a shame the villages do not have a piece of waste ground not near houses but convenient for them to clear and others to reach. I for one would not mind driving my customers requests to remove items that they no longer need instead of putting it outside praying somebody else may need it. Hawking is a big business in other countries

a few villages have skips on the outskirts but then silly people then put household waste in them which creates an animal problem which then gets the skip removed.

Everyone should have their own dustbin!!!! and if it has to be walked to a collection point so be it

[Ragged Robin]

However, the amount of rubbish / trash that is about is unbelievable. The beaches are literally covered in plastic, glass, tins etc. It is such a shame. Where does it all come from? The sea? Locals? Toruists? Culture? A result of the lack of lack of waste management on offer

[/quote

In my view it is a combination of all of those, aggravated by the fact that worldwide we live in a throw away society and the amount of unnecessary packaging by manufacturers is ridiculous and only serves to cause frustration disillusion in customers. Beaches accessible by hotel customers in Meditteranean countries are cleaned up during the tourist seasons for financial reasons and N. Cyprus is beginning to catch up with that, but out of season heavier tides bring in a lot of seaborne debris

[Trigger]

What are the opinions of people who have lived here longer of the rubbish situation? Is the rubbish problem getting better or getting worse in recent years?

Is there money to be made in recycling plastic, glass, paper, tin? If there is, there are plenty of raw materials kicking about. In fact, I might set up a company that recycles waste and sells it to manufacturing companies etc. I will pay people to collect from the beaches, roadsides and campsites. Install recycling collection points at popular sites to make it easier of people to dispose of their waste. Eventually i will broker a deal with the government to develop a recycling scheme in which citizens separate waste for collection. The government can cover their costs with a tax called waste tax (just to annoy enjoyingthesun).

In addition, I will create an education package aimed at education the youth of the country. This will go around schools providing lessons on sustainability, business methods and science.

Any rich business people reading this with the required capital, please pm me.

[tomsteel]

What are the opinions of people who have lived here longer of the rubbish situation? Is the rubbish problem getting better or getting worse in recent years?

Is there money to be made in recycling plastic, glass, paper, tin? If there is, there are plenty of raw materials kicking about. In fact, I might set up a company that recycles waste and sells it to manufacturing companies etc. I will pay people to collect from the beaches, roadsides and campsites. Install recycling collection points at popular sites to make it easier of people to dispose of their waste. Eventually i will broker a deal with the government to develop a recycling scheme in which citizens separate waste for collection. The government can cover their costs with a tax called waste tax (just to annoy enjoyingthesun).

In addition, I will create an education package aimed at education the youth of the country. This will go around schools providing lessons on sustainability, business methods and science.

Any rich business people reading this with the required capital, please pm me.

What are the opinions of people who have lived here longer of the rubbish situation? Is the rubbish problem getting better or getting worse in recent years?

Is there money to be made in recycling plastic, glass, paper, tin? If there is, there are plenty of raw materials kicking about. In fact, I might set up a company that recycles waste and sells it to manufacturing companies etc. I will pay people to collect from the beaches, roadsides and campsites. Install recycling collection points at popular sites to make it easier of people to dispose of their waste. Eventually i will broker a deal with the government to develop a recycling scheme in which citizens separate waste for collection. The government can cover their costs with a tax called waste tax (just to annoy enjoyingthesun).

In addition, I will create an education package aimed at education the youth of the country. This will go around schools providing lessons on sustainability, business methods and science.

Any rich business people reading this with the required capital, please pm me.

I wish you better success with the school education package than the several previous attempts managed to achieve. The expat community in Esentepe tried several times to get the schools involved. No real interest from staff, parents or pupils - their own playgrounds heave with plastic and rubbish. Hey ho, it is their country after all!

[Trigger]

That is sad to hear Tomsteel. What were the reasons?