At the end of each season, a study led by Captain Efe Kemal Aybedis, in cooperation with Marmaris Environmental Volunteers and the Marmaris Mariners and Captains Protection Association, was carried out around the islands off the coast of Marmaris Bay. Volunteers dived with scuba gear and collected trash that had accumulated both on the seabed and on the surface. Boats and canoes in the area also supported the volunteers. Rabia Deniz from the Marmaris environmental volunteers said, “We planned to do a good clean-up with a professional team of 16 people. We want to remove all the trash from the sea as much as we can, both underwater and on the shore, with canoes and jets.”
Barış Gültekin, President of the Marmaris Mariners and Captains Protection Association, stated that at the end of the season, plastics and car tires thrown into the sea unconsciously increase in particular, saying, “As mariners in Marmaris who earn their living from the sea, we already monitor the sea. However, guests and holidaymakers from outside can unfortunately throw plastic bottles into the sea.” Regarding the car tires retrieved from the seabed, Gültekin said, “Some boats use tires for fenders or mooring purposes. When not secured firmly enough, they break off during a storm and fall into the sea. Otherwise, neither a car nor a car tire has any business in the middle of the sea,” inviting mariners to be more sensitive.
‘A garbage boat also served during the five-hour clean-up’
The garbage waste boat of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality also accompanied the cleaning work, which lasted about five hours. Captain Efe Kemal Aybedis said, “We cleaned around Marmaris Keçi Island together with the Marmaris Environmental Volunteers. We cleaned several coves. I also thank Muğla Metropolitan Municipality for taking the trash we collected. We retrieved a lot of tires, cushions, glass bottles, and a small boat part. Citizens should not throw trash into the sea. We will continue these works at the beginning and end of each season.”
Eray Yılmaz from Marmaris Environmental Volunteers said about the boat part he retrieved from 12 meters deep in the sea, “This is waste left by citizens who are insensitive to our seas. Over time, the plastic broke down and ended up like this. We removed it so it wouldn’t pollute further. Marmaris is the most beautiful place in the world, it is the pearl of the world.”
A 6-year-old child who participated in the cleaning works asked adults not to throw trash into the sea, while the volunteers stated that these works will continue.
