The garbage route through the waterways he attempts to map research team within the framework of the program, which deals with the protection of the water resources of the wider Mediterranean region.

In this direction, special devices with GPS are thrown into rivers and the Aegean in order to investigate the currents and winds that “push” the waste to specific areas.

“I am doing a research project. In case you find me before 2026, please leave me and inform my company of my location. Alternatively, if you find me later, please mail me to go for recycling.” This inscription is on the special devices in blue and yellow color that already “travel” in the Aegean and in 4 rivers of Northern Greece, Axios, Aliakmonas, Evros and Strymonas, emitting their mark.

“The disposal of the devices belongs to the program of actions of the European funded program REMEDIES MISS 2021 OCEAN03, which creates innovative solutions and technologies for the monitoring, collection, prevention and utilization of (micro)plastics from our oceans” he says in Athenian/Macedonian News Agency the environmental engineer from the company MC Greece who designed the devices, Yiannis Lelekis. As he explains, after a survey carried out, mainly in the islands of the Cyclades, several wastes (plastics) were found, which had foreign inscriptions on them. It was found, therefore, that this waste does not only come from tourists but has come to our country through the cross-border rivers and has ended up in the sea on some beaches.

“We started the first dropping of devices at the beginning of June in the southern part of the Cyclades, from Serifos to Amorgos, followed by the area north of Mykonos and a few days ago, in four rivers of northern Greece. In total, we have dropped 50 devices, of which 40 remain active as the rest show from their marks that they remain stable and have obviously been taken out of the water,” says Mr. Lelekis.

It is noted that some of the devices are plastic and others are wooden, they are all waterproof and have visible insignia and a label with information about the research project so that they are not considered garbage and removed.

“The plastic device weighs 370 grams and the wooden one about 700. They are made of different material because we also wanted to see the routes of the plastic since it travels 4 to 5 times faster than wood” clarifies Mr. Lelekis. The aim is to track all devices for 2 years so that litter can then be tracked through the rivers.

“We have already seen that a transceiver that fell into the Evros, at this moment reached Halkidiki, where also a transceiver that we dropped into Aliakmons ended up,” Mr. Lelekis points out.

In total, through the program, 200 disposals will be made, at different time periods, for the next two years in order to map the path of the waste found on different beaches.

However, the biggest problem is, according to Mr. Lelekis, that the people who see the devices, do not care about the labeling and blow them out of the water.

“I want to ask, whoever sees our device in the water, to leave it and not try to take it out in order to be able to complete our program” urges Mr. Lelekis adding that all the devices, upon completion of the research project , will be collected and sent for recycling as they are made of ecological and recyclable materials to protect the environment.

Natasha Karathanou