Waste pollution in the Black Sea plateaus!
As migration mobility increases in the high altitude plateaus of the Eastern Black Sea region, randomly thrown garbage reaches the sea and causes pollution. Experts, on the other hand, state that the garbage problem in rural areas has increased by 80 percent in the last 10 years and that the amount of waste dumped in the Black Sea has reached very serious levels.
In the high altitude plateaus, which are in demand with Covid-19, population mobility has increased even more with summer tourism.
The highlands in the Eastern Black Sea region, which are preferred by local and foreign tourists with their cool climate and traditional festivals, are occasionally filled with randomly thrown garbage.
This garbage causes pollution in the forests and the sea it reaches. Environmental pollution also threatens natural life.
“THAT WASTE DOES NOT STAY IN THE PLATEAU”
President of the Association for the Protection of Natural and Historical Values Assoc. Prof. Dr. Coşkun Erüz stated that the increasing pollution in the highlands has reached the sea.
“There is illegal construction and development in the highlands after the pandemic. This distortion disrupts nature. The second invisible and rapidly growing problem is garbage.” Erüz said, “While they should carry the garbage produced in the highlands, where the migration movement increased, to the cities and dispose of it, the people started to throw this garbage left and right. Currently, a place where we can say ‘no garbage, clean’ is almost non-existent. Unfortunately, this garbage is thrown away by those living in the plateau and daily visitors.”
Erüz said that foreign tourists eat, drink and throw garbage in the plateau with the same logic and return back, “Therefore, there is a very serious waste pollution, mainly plastic, in all plateaus, especially in Trabzon. Those wastes do not stay in the plateau. It somehow flows with the help of wind and rain. Currently, all river basins are full of garbage. It is not enough; it reaches the sea, when you go to the coasts, all the beaches are full of garbage.”
“GARBAGE IS A PROBLEM THAT UNDERMINES TOURISM”
Noting that garbage in the highlands is a problem that undermines tourism, Erüz said, “The source of the garbage problem is the public. First of all, we need to raise public awareness. Local administrations also need to go to the plateaus once a week to pick up the garbage in the areas where the people are. Because garbage is a problem that undermines tourism. Garbage is a problem that pollutes nature and puts public health at risk. We need to raise awareness of those who go to the plateau or our people who live there. We need to prioritize not throwing, but not throwing. Garbage collectors need to be more planned, controlled and faster. We need to take a holistic view. There is European Union (EU) support on this issue. Because the EU supports the prevention of pollution in the Black Sea. Why? Because in the eyes of the EU, the Black Sea is the most polluted sea in Europe. Unfortunately, we are doing this all together.”
“DISPOSAL IS MOVING TOWARDS IMPOSSIBILITY”
Stating that the amount of garbage has increased significantly, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erüz said, “When we look proportionally; waste has been collected around Trabzon and Rize since 2010. Where there are residential areas, 80 percent of the problem has been solved. The garbage problem in rural areas has increased by at least 80 percent in the last 10 years.”
Erüz continued as follows:
“This garbage cannot be taken under control because it spreads over time. It becomes impossible to collect and dispose of the spreading garbage. In the end, the garbage is dumped into the Black Sea. The amount of waste dumped in the Black Sea has reached a very serious amount. These are mainly plastic wastes.”
