FROM RIVERS TO SAVE THE SEA
The Marevivo #WeSavePlasticsAtTheSea Campaign
was created to take action directly at the mouths of rivers,
before the plastic reaches the sea
THE PROBLEM
Rivers contribute to the pollution of the sea
80 percent of the plastic that pollutes our seas comes from inland, carried by rivers. Once in the sea, its deterioration process turns it into millions of invisible microplastics that are mistaken for food by marine animals, with often fatal consequences. Once ingested, they then become part of the food chain.
Start from rivers to save the sea
Rivers, which are the great arteries of the planet and in the past made life possible, have now turned into conveyor belts of waste of all kinds that they collect on their way and inexorably pour into the sea. A threat that, considering the biodegradability times of plastic, can last as long as 1,000 years.
The solution proposed by Marevivo
Plastic on the surface accounts for only 15 percent; the rest is dispersed in the seabed and is more difficult to recover.
To mitigate pollution, therefore, the first concrete action is to place waste collection systems at the mouths of all waterways.
THE COMMITMENT OF MAREVIVO
Collection systems at the mouth
By installing special plastic collection systems at the mouths of rivers to intercept the waste, preventing it from reaching the sea.
The petition and amendment
To demand that the Salvamare Law be passed immediately and contain an amendment to install collection systems at the mouth to intercept waste.
Cleaning and activities of desensitization
Marevivo organizes cleanups along the banks of rivers and at their mouths and activities to raise awareness about the importance of reducing waste and waste.
TO REACH OUR GOAL WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Support Marevivo's campaign signing the petition Stop Eating Plastic!
OUR ACTIONS
The "catch plastic" barriers
THE RIVER SAVES THE SEA
A commitment since 1988
Marevivo has been engaged in waste collection in rivers with experimental activities since 1988 when a barrier was placed on the Sarno River on an experimental basis. In 1992, on the other hand, the association managed to install for a few days benches to block and collect the tons of debris that sailed into the waters of the Tiber, and since 2018 it has been part of the Lazio Region’s experimental project “The River Saves the Sea,” which has finally started and has allowed the recovery of 1,700 kilos of plastic before it ended up in the sea. In just four months, in fact, the amount of waste collected by the “plastic catcher” barriers has been astonishing. So much so, in fact, that the Region has been prompted to turn the initiative, which began as a mere two-month experiment, into a structural project and plan to place a second plastic-collecting device on the Aniene River.
MOUTH OF THE PLATANI RIVER
The first waste collection system in Sicily
Our initiative aims to protect the Mouth of the Platani River Nature Reserve, an area rich in natural beauty, but heavily threatened by pollution generated largely by the waste that the river drags along its path before reaching the sea. The action on the Platani was made possible thanks to the project Halykòs – Environmental Prevention and Enhancement of the Mouth of the Platani River, carried out with the support of the Fondazione CON IL SUD, which supports social infrastructure to foster development in Southern Italy. In addition, the project is fully in line with the priorities proposed in Brussels as part of the European Commission’s Mission “Seas Oceans and Inland Waters” aimed at preventing, mitigating, and decreasing the presence of plastic in the sea.
Aware that to save the Planet, we need to start from the sea, origin of life
LET'S STOP PLASTIC FROM REACHING THE SEA
LET'S STOP PLASTIC FROM REACHING THE SEA
“Waterways represent not only an obligatory passage site for about 80 percent of mismanaged plastic but also the last man-portable zone before the big blue. Waterways and water security, as said in the last World Economic Forum represent the web that holds together the web of challenges on food, energy, climate, economic growth, and security that the world economy will face in all its forms in the coming decades.”
Alex Bellini, Explorer, Marevivo’s Knight of the Sea with his project 10 Rivers One Ocean is traversing the 10 most polluted rivers on the planet to document the journey plastic takes before reaching the sea.
ALEX BELLINI SUPPORTS THE MAREVIVO PETITION
What can you do ?
Become a volunteer and participate in our cleaning activities at the mouths of rivers
