To keep our beaches and environment clean, especially during the summer months when waste levels are higher due to tourism, LAG 5 has initiated the project "Let’s Preserve Our Islands" with partners. The aim of the project is to encourage responsible and conscientious behaviour and minimize the amount of small marine debris, which is mostly composed of plastic, metal, glass, rubber, and paper, with cigarette filters being the most common items found on beaches.
Cigarette filters are made of a type of plastic that is non-biodegradable and contain harmful chemicals that threaten the environment and the health of humans and animals. Cigarette butts that end up in the sea are particularly dangerous as just one can pollute up to 500 litres of water and take up to five years to decompose.
Motivated by the positive outcomes we can influence and thus contribute to our community, LAG 5, through the implementation of the "Let’s Preserve Our Islands" project, and upon the suggestion and idea of the Lastovo Tourist Board, has ensured the free distribution of eco-bins in its area. The eco-bin is a small and functionally designed container for the temporary disposal of non-biodegradable small waste. Due to its ecological function and long-term use, the eco-bin is made of environmentally friendly, recycled, and non-flammable plastic that can be maintained and recycled again.
The project has secured 2100 eco-bin ashtrays for beaches and the production and printing of stickers for them, as well as the production and printing of bilingual posters and leaflets to inform visitors and local residents about the harm of leaving cigarette butts in nature and other similar environmentally harmful behaviours. All printed materials have the donor's logo, and the distribution of all materials began recently in collaboration with local tourist service providers (agencies, renters, caterers, family farms, trades) and in the offices of the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Lastovo, the Municipality of Lumbarda, and the city of Korčula.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds in the amount of 5,652.00 euros through the Public Call for the submission of projects to encourage the development of civil society on the islands in 2023. The project duration is from October 1, 2023, to October 1, 2024, with LAG 5 as the project holder and partners being the Lastovo Tourist Board, Korčula Tourist Board, and Lumbarda Tourist Board.
