Every day, teams from the Agency for the Protection and Development of the Coastline (APAL) collect an average of 8,000 cubic meters of waste left by tourists on Tunisian beaches, revealed Nabil Mokhtar, Head of the Beach Planning and Equipment Department and manager of the national beach-cleaning program, on Friday, August 8, 2025.
Speaking on national radio, Mokhtar highlighted that 85% of this waste is plastic—a material that can take up to 500 years to degrade, posing a serious threat to both marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
To tackle this issue, the agency has allocated a budget of 1.8 million dinars for the mechanized beach-cleaning program, which will continue until the end of September 2025.
Mokhtar also urged citizens to keep the coastline clean by refraining from littering and noted that previously installed trash bins had been stolen, complicating waste management efforts.
This situation underscores the urgent need for collective action to preserve natural spaces and protect coastal biodiversity.
Source: La presse
