Turists and locals clean Antalya beach using handheld vacuum cleaners

Around 100 volunteers—including residents, tourists, the local muhtar and the SS Ulupınar Environment Protection Cooperative—gathered at Maden Koyu near Çıralı in Kemer district, Antalya, to remove plastic litter from the shoreline. Because many fragments were difficult to pick up by hand, participants used battery‑powered handheld vacuums and air‑blowing devices. In roughly two hours the team collected a tractor‑load of waste, which was taken by boat to Çıralı and disposed of in trash bins.

Cooperative chairman Habib Altınkaya warned that plastic debris now covers the sea surface and threatens sea turtles, which often mistake the pieces for jellyfish. Local tourism operator Pınar Özkaya echoed the concern, noting that the water is unusually turbid and that single‑use plastics need to be banned to protect the beach and its visitors.