The Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the UN Regional Activity Center MedWaves are happy to announce the launch of the Low Plastic Zone (LPZ) Initiative. The LPZ Initiative aims to build a community of forward-looking hotel, restaurant, cafe and bar owners committed to phasing out single use plastic products from their operations and contributing to curb plastic pollution in Montenegro.
Facts about single-use plastics:
\u2714 Plastic bottles and caps, food containers, bags, packets, and wrappers, as well as cans are among the top 10 litter items most commonly found during clean-ups along the coasts of Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina
\u2714 These products are designed to be used once \u2013 often for few minutes, and then tossed away: 1 every 3 single-use plastic products ends up in the sea where it can last for centuries
\u2714 80% of the plastic litter in the sea comes from land-based activities through rivers and from densely populated coastal areas with inadequate waste management policies and infrastructure
\u2714 Plastic pollution harms the environment and human health, contaminating the seas and soil
\u2714 Three in four people worldwide want single-use plastic products to be banned as soon as possible
\u2714 82% of people worldwide favour products with less plastic packaging<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Montenegro, the The Low Plastic Zone initiative in Kotor is implemented by the NGO Green Home. The Low Plastic Zone initiative aims to encourage and support hotel, restaurant, and caf\u00e9 owners to reduce the amount of single-use plastic products handed to customers. The Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the UN Regional Activity Center MedWaves are happy to announce the launch of the Low Plastic Zone (LPZ) Initiative. The LPZ Initiative aims to build a community of forward-looking hotel, restaurant, cafe and bar owners committed to phasing out single use plastic products from their operations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8657,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The HoReCa sector is significant, when it comes to the use of products such as plastic straws, spoons, glasses, bottles, bags, etc. Because of their convenience, price and functionality, but on the other hand, these products make up most of the waste found on beaches, the coast and in the sea.
In addition to the bad impact on the environment, images of the coast and cities that are burdened with plastic waste, leave a bad impression on visitors and therefore reduce the number of visitors, value of income from business, and increase cleaning costs.
Hotels, restaurants and cafes can significantly contribute to reducing the amount of plastic waste if they adapt their practices and introduce changes in the way they do business.
Public awareness of the harmful effect that plastic has on the environment and human health is developing in the direction that plastic waste is a problem that requires urgent action. Many people feel worried about the future and some feel powerless when they see the amount of single-use plastic products that are used unnecessarily in large quantities. People are trying to reduce their use of single-use plastic products, and are increasingly turning to places that employ sustainable practices.
Accordingly, the number of companies that want to reduce their impact on the environment is growing, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it gives them added value and makes them recognizable. However, owners, managers usually do not know where to start.
The \u201cThe Low Plastic Zone\u201d initiative was launched precisely to support those who have decided to reduce the amount of disposable products in their business.
The implementation of this initiative is simple and includes: switching to reusable cups, bottles and bags, advising guests to bring reusable straws, serving straws only on request, using alternative disposable products made from safer and circular materials, such as wood\u2026 Change is possible, but it requires a change in the way of thinking, habits, and way of doing business, as well as strong collaboration and effective communication with suppliers and users.
In the coming months, we will communicate with representatives of hotels, restaurants and cafes in the Municipality of Kotor in order to jointly assess their current use of single-use plastics, look at available options that will reduce or eliminate the use of these products, and help them implement the most suitable solutions for their business.
For all those who decide to join this initiative, we have prepared stickers that draw the attention of guests: a zone with reduced use of plastic.
Participation in \u201cThe Low Plastic Zone\u201d initiative is completely FREE.
The Low Plastic Zone Initiative builds on the lessons learned of a pilot phase implemented by GIZ in 2020 and 2021 in five municipalities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It also draws on the successes of the Plastic Free Balearics Programme<\/a> led by the Spanish Foundation Save The Med<\/a>. In particular, the Low Plastic Zone Initiative has adopted the Honest Alternatives to Plastic Index (H.A.P.I.), a tool developed by Save the Med to help companies reduce plastic use while avoiding greenwashing and false solutions, as well as the Honest HoReCa Guide to Zero Waste developed by Zero Waste Montenegro to offer businesses examples of real and honest alternative solutions to single use plastic products that are available in the project countries.
If you are interested in joining the \u201cThe Low Plastic Zone\u201d initiative, please contact:
nina.mihailovic@greenhome.co.me
+382 67 067 777
In line with the European Commission Directive (2019\/904)<\/a> on single-use plastics, the Low Plastic Zone initiative is a joint effort of the Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and MedWaves<\/a>, implemented by national partners in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
The Integrated Waste Management and Marine Litter Prevention Programme in the Western Balkans (MLP), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fu\u0308r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, supports four countries to help reduce plastic discharge into the Adriatic Sea by facilitating regional exchange, knowledge sharing and cross-border cooperation.
GIZ is a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. GIZ has 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
Preventing marine litter in the Western Balkans<\/a>
MedWaves is a centre for international cooperation developing innovative solutions addressing shared environmental challenges and based on circular economy and sustainable consumption and production principles. The activities in the Adriatic countries are funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security through a Cooperation Agreement with the UNEP\/MAP in support to the implementation of the UNEP\/MAP Mid-Term Strategy 2016-2021.
The centre operates under the legal framework of Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. MedWaves is based in Barcelona (Spain) and hosted by the Catalan Waste Agency. MedWaves is actively addressing plastic pollution in the Mediterranean through outreach, technical cooperation, and policy work, as well as the development, implementation, and scaling of innovative solutions for businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"