An emergency meeting was held at the Paphos Municipality regarding microplastics on beaches, which are causing concern, as the phenomenon has been observed extensively along the district’s coastline.

Authorities took action after uniformly cut microplastics were found on the shores, a finding that suggested industrial processing. As reported by Alpha’s correspondent in Paphos, Kostas Nanos, it was determined that the plastics originated from a country neighboring Cyprus.

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The meeting held on Tuesday was attended by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, the Department of Fisheries, and the Department of the Environment. It was decided that a scientific investigation into the plastics would be conducted, and efforts would also be made to collect the plastics by municipal crews.

It was also agreed that the Deputy Ministry of Shipping would provide drones to monitor the coastline in order to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Speaking on the program, the President of “Akti,” Xenia Loizidou, stated that Cyprus’s coastlines are facing a multifaceted environmental crisis, with up to 4,000 pieces of plastic per square meter being found.

She emphasizes that a level head and immediate government action are needed to tackle the pollution, while criticizing the construction of breakwaters.

As Ms. Loizidou notes, the problem of plastic pollution is not new, but dates back 20 years, as the Mediterranean is considered the sea with the highest level of plastic pollution worldwide, with 500,000 metric tons of plastic flowing in annually from rivers and coastal landfills in neighboring countries.

In addition to the plastic carried by ocean currents from abroad, Cyprus is burdened by its own storm drains that empty into the beaches, as well as agricultural plastics, such as fertilizer bags, which are not properly recycled.

She describes the accumulation of plastic in Paphos as a “crisis,” the accumulation of plastic in Paphos, with Ms. Loizidou noting that such phenomena are common in November but go unnoticed at that time due to the absence of swimmers.

She emphasizes that one of the most serious yet overlooked sources of pollution is car tires, noting that each car loses approximately 1.2 kilograms of rubber annually due to wear and tear. With 600,000 cars in Cyprus, approximately 700–800 metric tons of microplastics end up on the road, in the air we breathe, and ultimately in the sea via stormwater runoff.

Ms. Loizidou sharply criticized the construction of breakwaters, linking them to both pollution and drowning incidents. She states that breakwaters alter ocean currents, resulting in the accumulation of microplastics on shores that were previously clean. She described areas with breakwaters as a “paradise for coliform bacteria,” as the water becomes trapped, overheats, and promotes the concentration of microbes.

Ms. Loizidou emphasized that the problem must not be addressed with local “quick fixes,” but rather through a centralized national policy and strict control protocols.