A major step has been taken in the fight against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean with the official launch of the Plastic Smart Ports project during an kick-off meeting held in Izmir, Türkiye.
The project aims to transform selected fishing and tourism ports into replicable models of responsible plastic waste management across the Mediterranean. By adapting WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities approach, the initiative seeks to reduce plastic leakage into the Mediterranean, protect fragile marine habitats, and safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Led by Rostock University (Germany), in partnership with WWF-Mediterranean, WWF- Türkiye, WWF-North Africa, and ENALEIA (Greece), the project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) through the ZUG Marine Litter Grant Program.
Addressing Plastic Before They Become Marine Litter in Fishing and Tourism Ports
This three-year initiative will be piloted in Foça and Mordoğan, two coastal towns in the municipality of Izmir that is already part of WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities network, along with two pilot sites in Tunisia.
Fishing and tourism are both major contributors to plastic use and leakage—and also among the sectors most affected by plastic pollution. From lost fishing gear to single-use plastics from food services, the Mediterranean experiences a 40% increase in plastic waste during peak tourist seasons. The project addresses these challenges by engaging and bringing together port authorities, fishers, tourism operators, recyclers, and local governments to build scalable and replicable models for a circular economy.
Key focus areas include:
- Reducing plastic use at the source
- Recovering and recycling fishing gear and packaging
- Engaging local stakeholders in circular economy practices
Following the launch event in Izmir, project partners visited the two pilot sites Foca and Mordoğan, engaging with local authorities and stakeholders from the tourism and fishing sectors.
A second kick-off event is scheduled to take place in Tunis in December, marking the start of project activities in Tunisia.
For more information: https://www.plasticsmartports.org/
