Bacoli: after the storm surges, waste from the 80s found

Bacoli: after the storm surges, waste from the 80s found

A few days ago Rosaria, a volunteer from the Legambiente Volontariato Campi Flegrei club, found a bacoli, lot of waste of several decades ago. The latter arrived on the Phlegraean coast after a strong south-westerly wind: some date back to the 80s. The volunteers of the club immediately took pictures of the objects and studied them to identify them.

The sea had been hiding a macabre treasure for many years: several bottles of detergent and bleach, medicine and cosmetic packages; old plastic toys including a toy car, two horses and a Hannah-Barbera doll. Added to the list are a slipper, an ice pack made in Holland, cans and as many bottles.

This type of waste is the result of the “plastic boom” that occurred after the war and that brought detergents, soaps and toys into everyone’s homes. They remained on the seabed for many years but despite this they are still almost intact. You can still read the labels and the price in Lire. It is the demonstration of how plastic is resistant even with the passing of the years.

When it begins to deteriorate, it fragments into microplastics. These are now widespread in all the seas and can easily enter the food chain of fish and, consequently, also in ours. These phenomena of deterioration can be seen on some bottles.

Statements from Legambiente Campi Flegrei vice president Eng. Gioacchino Ambrosino di Miccio: “Let's make sure that findings like these are a warning to all of us. These images testify to the resistance of plastic and its suffocating presence in the marine environment.

We must become more aware consumers: only by changing our purchasing habits can we generate significant change in the industrial and political landscape. With our choices we can direct the world towards sustainability and safeguard marine environments. For years we have been unfairly treating the sea as a landfill: it is a common good for all, rich in biodiversity and beauty.

Let's save our beaches now and not let them become waste dumps." The plastics found were then sent to the CNR for further analysis and experiments related to recyclability.