Italy's marine clean‑up projects collect nearly 2 tonnes of waste

The concluding conference of the EU‑funded LIFE DREAM project was held on 5 June at the Port of Forio, Ischia. The five‑year Mediterranean initiative, involving Italy, Spain and Greece, aimed to restore deep‑sea coral reefs, remove marine litter and develop circular‑economy models. In Italy, 44 trawl vessels operating in the Gulf of Naples and the South Adriatic collected more than 1,500 kg of debris, about half of it plastic, which was later converted through cold‑pyrolysis into second‑generation fuel returned to the fishermen. Project leaders highlighted the role of professional fishers as active participants in marine protection and called for the full implementation of Italy’s Salvamare law, with pending decrees expected by autumn 2026.

On 8 June, the volunteer‑driven SpazzApnea event in Trapani recovered 456 kg of assorted waste from the seabed near historic coastal walls. The clean‑up, part of a national operation that began in Genoa in 2018, involved freedivers, trainees and volunteers and contributed data for citizen‑science studies on marine litter and micro‑plastic impacts. Both initiatives underscore growing community and policy efforts to address marine pollution along Italy’s coastlines.