Datça authorities remove 2 tons of waste from steep coastal slopes

Datça Municipality and the Neighborhood Disaster Volunteers Emergency Service Association (MAG-AME) conducted a major environmental cleanup operation along the steep slopes of the Datça–Marmaris Highway. The operation focused on the area known as ‘66 Bük Mevkii,’ spanning from Balıkaşıran to Aktur Kurucabük.

Due to the steep and difficult terrain, MAG-AME volunteers used ropes to access inaccessible points. The four-hour intensive effort resulted in the removal of over 2 tons of waste, totaling approximately 8 cubic meters. The collected debris included plastic and glass bottles, car tires, truck body parts, construction rubble, infrastructure cable protectors, plastic tarps, diapers, and cigarette butts.

Authorities identified that most of the waste was left by motorists stopping along the roadside to view the Gökova Gulf. Officials emphasized that the Datça–Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area is a sensitive ecosystem home to rare species, such as the Datça date palm and the caracal. They issued a call to protect the peninsula's natural heritage from the high rate of pollution caused by the 250,000 vehicles that pass through the route monthly.