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Description
Promotion of the reduction of plastic marine litter and especially of single use plastic, both directly and indirectly involvement of the fishing community in its collection and referral for upcycling as an integral part of the project; audits of Plastic and Action Plan for its reduction, (restaurants and beach bars); creative and innovative awareness raising actions especially targeted at key groups related to the sea. 2 jobs created. 1.79 Tons of recycled plastic. 50 kg secondary raw materials. 70 prevention and awareness campaigns supported. 58 voluntary actions supported
Summary of project results
In Portugal, about 72% of the waste found on beaches are plastics, which are deposited in the oceans in the form of macroplastics, in the sands in the form of microplastics and enter at the food chains as nanoplastic, reducing biodiversity, by increasing the mortality of living beings. "FishingthePlastic", promoted by the BasN Association, in partnership with the municipality of Ovar, contributed to the promotion of the reduction of plastic marine litter and especially of single use plastic, directly, through the involvement of the fishing community in its collection and referral for upcycling as an integral part of the project; audits of Plastic and Action Plan for its reduction, (restaurants and beach bars) and indirect, through creative and innovative awareness raising actions especially targeted at key groups related to the sea. Ovar is a municipality in the district of Aveiro, with close to 150km2, more than 55000 inhabitants, spread over 5 parishes and 15 km of Atlantic coast which, due to its geographical location, has. fisheries of relevance to the local economy and with a very active social role, constituting the territorial scope of the project, with particular focus on the coastal parishes of Esmoriz and Ovar. Thus, the project''s main objective was to sensitize, in an innovative and consistent manner, the main publics interacting with the ocean, and that may have an impact in terms of increasing the application of the Circular Economy principles and reducing plastics in the oceans.
The project included five activities:
1 - Planning and Preparation of Actions;
2 - Prevention and Awareness Raising for the reduction of marine litter, including several actions with methodologies adapted to different audiences, including the Boot Camp - "School Ambassadors", aimed at adolescent girls; the "3 days without plastic" challenge, with young people reporting their experiences; the observation of microplastics in sand and marine species, the "Plastic Audits and Action Plan" to be implemented in restaurants and beach bars;
3 - Implementation of Marine Plastic Collection and Upcycling Actions, which provides for the installation of a Kit of 6 machines, to be used by fishing community, which allows the recycling of the collected marine plastic and the on-site production of recycled plastic products, to be used by the community itself and for those who will revert the product from their marketing;
4 - Definition of the business model for the commercialization of the objects produced by upcycling;
5 - Disclosure, with highlights at the production of a 3D animation film to be used in various media and actions.
The project did, in an innovative and consistent way, sensitize different local audiences, working in a different and specific way, through about 25 different activities. The target public was: • Fishing communities, involving in particular fishermen''s women and through them fishermen and their families (+100 women and families); • Children and young people at school age, pre-school, primary and secondary education, focusing on educational establishments with families of fishermen (=13 schools: 3 ES; 6EB; 4JI, + 3000 students); • Professional, sports, recreational and leisure associations associated with fishing and the sea - namely water sports (rowing, sailing, surfing) and fishermen''s associations (apx 11); • Food and beverage establishments, located on the beach and riverside areas (nearly 24); • Population in general, especially vacationers during the bathing season (+ 500 people).
Aware that volunteering is fundamental for the community''s resilience, solidarity and social cohesion, strengthening the sense of individual and collective responsibility, in a common good behalf, the #FishingthePlastic project foresaw the involvement of volunteer work in various activities, mainly in activities involving the public (eg monitoring of beach cleanings). Despite the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic and other restrictive measures, which conditioned the carrying out of activities involving large groups of people and the receptivity to the participation of volunteers, it was still possible to involve and awaken a sense of service to the community.
The project produced several deliverables that can and will be replicated in other contexts and places, and are even already planned for the post-project period, ensuring its continuity and dissemination of its impact, namely the Sustainability Ambassadors Program, the street theatre – “ A Tartaruga Entupida”, the Plastic Audits and the “Seal” recognition system for Restaurants and Beverages, the “Ecopoints Construction Workshops”, the 3D animation film “#FishingthePlastic”, the commercialization of the ashtray of SMOKE IN beach, winner of the Rede nas Redes contest and its contribution to being able to continue to finance a Training and Support Program for Women from Fishing Communities, since a percentage of the sale will revert to this Program to be created by Business as Nature in the future.