In summer, the Tunisian beaches accumulate nearly 8,000 cubic meters of waste each day. According to Nabil Mokhtar, head of the Apal beaches cleaning program, 85 % of this waste is made of plastic.
To deal with it, the coastal protection and development agency (APAL) leads, in partnership with the tourist areas protection fund, a large cleaning program. The latter concerns 133 beaches spread over 192 kilometers of coastline.
The teams intervene both with machines to screen the sand, and manually in the more sensitive areas. They cover a total area of approximately 5,739 hectares. During the summer season, public beaches receive between 9 and 11 interventions. Tourist sites benefit from it up to 23 times. Each operation, around 600 m³ of waste is removed.
The program, whose progress rate reaches 80 %, is funded up to 1.8 million dinars. The tourist fund ensures 60 %, while the APAL takes care of the rest. In addition, the authorities dismantle illegal constructions and monitor the current concessions. The objective is clear: to protect the beaches and guarantee a quality welcome to visitors.
According to Mokhtar, this pollution impacts the marine environment, but also the image of the country. He therefore calls on summer visitors to no longer abandon their waste and adopt responsible behavior.
