The famous Amalfi Coast is for sure a paradise but at the moment it is a dirty paradise and something needs to change.

The Amalfi Coast is according to me, and many others with me, one of the world’s most beautiful places. Along the coastline the views are amazing with the steep mountains, vast sea and the many small unique villages that you pass by along the way.

Many people come here to do hiking, biking, sunbathing, swimming, or in some other way experience the magnificent environment that the area offers. I love Italy and has previously visited the Amalfi Coast to enjoy the sun, the food and the views, it has been a beautiful experience but unfortunately it is impossible not to notice the dark side of this beautiful paradise. This defect is spelled littering. Way too much garbage can be seen along the  coastline. Garbage like old bottles, paper, light bulbs, plastic bags and fast food packaging, yes all the waste you can imagine can be found. Unfortunately is this something that draws down the positive experience of a trip along the Amalfi Coast.

 

So yesterday I and my colleagues from ACARBIO, together with other organizations that are interested in keeping the Amalfi Coast free from litter went out to clean a part of the coastline. This we did not just do for the direct positive effects it has on the environment but also because we wanted to make other people more aware of the problems of littering.

For me as a Swedish citizen I was really surprised of how much waste that we found during this short time, sack after sack were filled and even though it felt good to clean up some of the waste it was also sad to see how much that was left.

It is so strange that such a unique and beautiful area as the Amalfi coast is so full of this garbage. It should be so important for the province of Salerno to keep an area of such beauty clean, not only for the intrinsic value of the Amalfi coast but also for its strong ability to attract tourists. The Amalfi Coast is also, for sure, worth its weight in gold for its rich flora and fauna.

So not only is the garbage drawing down the nature experience for the Amalfi Coasts inhabitants and its tourists, it is also dangerous for the animals that live in the area. Birds that live in littered areas like this can actually starve to death because they get so much un-degradable materials in their stomach so that they do not have space for food. Many animals do also get cuts of various kinds from the litter, both external and deadly. It takes many years for the garbage to degrade in the nature, for plastic it can take several hundreds of years and with this a lot of dangerous substances are let out in the environment.

The Province of Salerno and the mayors should really take this problem seriously because of the problems it causes the nature but also the monetary problems that littering is contributing to as it affects tourism and commerce negative and it is even damaging fishing gear and boats.

Studies are also showing that garbage feeds garbage and unsafe environments. This means that already littered areas are under greater risk to be further filled with garbage and also is the littering causing more socially unsafe environments.

Because of all these negative effects that littering is causing a conclusion is that a garbage-free environment is one of the ground stones of a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable society.

Written by: Isa Wästlund