The International Coastal Cleanup Campaign, organized every fall, is the oldest and broadest public and coastal waste awareness effort, an initiative by the non-governmental organization Ocean Conservancy.

According to the Trash Free Seas Annual Report that was just released by the organization, last year 940,000 volunteers in 116 countries carried out 7,000 cleanups collecting 9,500 tons of garbage. The largest amount of litter collected was – by far – the about 5 million food packages and the more than 4 million cigarette butts, which proves our individual responsibility for the global spread of the problem.

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Coastal Cleanup Campaign will take place, giving emphasis to the volunteers’ SAFETY, who are encouraged to get organized in small groups, always using gloves and masks and avoiding the crowds.

HELMEPA has been organizing this voluntary action for 30 years in Greece and invites all those who love the sea to symbolically clean a beach or part of the seabed between September 19th and October 31st 2020, always with CAUTION and following all relative protective measures.

The process is very simple. Complete the registration form to receive instructions from HELMEPA for the safe organization of your activity as well as the Data Recording Form, along with the campaign electronic poster. After the cleanup, kindly send us the Form as well as photos to promote your activity on our Facebook page, with our common message “No garbage, No plastics in our Seas and on our Beaches!”