Greenpeace Croatia members called on citizens to sign a petition to save the Mediterranean from plastic which they will submit to the Environmental Protection and Energy Ministry.
The goal of the campaign, which is also being implemented in Spain, Greece, Italy and Bulgaria, is to influence European Union discussions on amendments to waste directives and a new plastic strategy. The petition on Greenpeace's website has been signed by 55,000 citizens.
We call on the Croatian government that, in talks with the European Commission and the European Parliament, it pushes for stricter measures to reduce plastic pollution, Greenpeace Croatia head Zoran Tomic said.
"Croatia recycles only 16% of waste, while the European average is 43%. With this campaign, we are asking for the adoption of a law which will eliminate single-use plastic," campaign leader Mihaela Bogeljic said, adding that the situation could be improved if citizens changed their habits and manufacturers became more responsible.
She said excessive plastic floating in the sea was a threat to many animal species such as fish, turtles, whales and seabirds.
The activists called on representatives of several ministries and parliamentary committees to support the campaign and to join in the fight against pollution but no one attended today's event.