Athens Coast Joins ‘Let’s Clean Up Europe’

Athens Coast is a participant in the European Union’s initiative ‘Let’s Clean Up Europe’.

What is Let’s Clean Up Europe?

Let’s Clean Up Europe is one program of the LIFE+ project, European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR). The project aims to promote the implementation of awareness-raising actions regarding sustainable resource and waste management.

Clean ups will be organized all over Europe between May 12-14 in cooperation with Let’s Clean Up Europe.

Reduce

Waste reduction can be defined as the complete range of measures and actions taken up before a substance, material or product becomes waste.  Less things manufactured=less things that go to waste.

EWWR aims to reduce:

• The quantity of waste produced (measures include eco-consumption, reuse or lengthening product lifespans)
• The harmful effects of waste produced and treated, both on the environment and on human health
• The content of harmful substances in materials and products.

3 ways you can help to Reduce waste:

1. Bring reusable bags and containers when shopping- also when traveling and for outdoor activities.
2. Buy a sustainable plastic bottle and take water with you from home instead of buying plastic bottles.
3. Buy things in bulk and reuse your glass containers for storage.  Also avoid buying plastic baggies and just reuse your own containers for storage.

Reuse

Reuse refers to checking, cleaning or repairing something so that you can use it again and it doesn’t become waste. In technical terms, ‘reuse means any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived.’

3 ways you can Reuse:

1. Fix and maintain your possessions – Rather than throwing your unwanted things away, consider repairing or repurposing them.
2. Donate and resell options – Just because you don’t want something anymore, doesn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t like it.
3. Swap and borrow – Think about asking a friend to borrow something that you may need for short term use.

Recycle

Recycling is mentioned third because it is the last effort made in the chain of impacting pollution.  You should always try to reduce and reuse before recycling, but recycling is better than nothing at all- so by all means, RECYCLE!

Recycling is the operation taking place after waste collection where items are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes.

Athens Recycling Bin

Athens Recyclable Items

• Paper – newspapers, magazines
• Paper packaging – cardboard boxes
• Glass – jars, bottles
• Metal containers – tin cans, aluminum cans
• Plastic -packaging, bags

For more information, visit City Of Athens – Recycling Program 

Athens Coast Beach Clean Up

We were introduced to this great organization because we wanted to organize a beach clean up.  Our first Events will be held on May 13, 2017. We look forward to organizing more in the future and raising awareness about the issues that face our environment. When you live in such a beautiful place, it is crazy not to do your best to keep it clean.