On Friday, September 4, VLPF organised a gamified cleanup of marine debris on a section of Pellestrina beach, as part of the 20,000 kg plastic removal challenge coordinated within the REMEDIES project alongside SeaClear 2.0 and JOINABLE. This time, Veritas, Cooperativa il Cerchio, and Wake Forest University joined the effort too.
Wake Forest University is part of the Venice Community of Practice against marine pollution, established by VLPF under the SeaClear2.0 project.
Fifteen people, including students and professors from Wake Forest University, took part, split into two teams, “The Plastics” and “The Lagoonatics,” competing to remove the highest amount of marine litter along the stretch of coast. This marks the second year Wake Forest University has joined a cleanup organised by VLPF, building on the university’s ongoing role within the Venice Community of Practice. The cleanup was carried out using the SeaClear2.0 app.
Together, the combined efforts of VLPF, Wake Forest University, Veritas, and Cooperativa il Cerchio removed a certified 455 kg of marine litter. The main items found were mussel fishing nets and buoys, directly linked to mussel farming, the primary economic activity just a few miles from this stretch of coast, an activity that is far from sustainable.
The students from Wake Forest University thus had a firsthand experience, through a playful contest between two teams, of the presence and removal of marine waste along our coastlines, which helped to develop awareness of the ubiquity of such a widespread and severe problem.
VLPF thanks Wake Forest University and all the students and professors involved for their dedication, Veritas and Cooperativa il Cerchio for removing and disposing of the collected litter from the site, and the Capitaneria di Porto and the Comune di Venezia for their institutional support and for the permits needed to carry out the activity.
Cleanups will not solve plastic pollution on their own. However, they prevent macroplastic from further breaking down into microplastic and it being released into nature, and that is why VLPF keeps organising them.
