Dubrovnik limits its use of disposable plastics

It has sought inspiration from the WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities initiative

On Wednesday 8 September, the Croatian City of Dubrovnik announced its plans to regulate the use of disposable plastics in the institutions and companies it (co) owns. The City Council reportedly based this decision on the project “Plastic Smart Cities”: an initiative launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to encourage coastal towns and villages to take measures to reduce plastic pollution.

According to a press release by the municipality, other Mediterranean cities such as Nice (France), Izmir (Turkey), Tangier (Morocco), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Venice (Italy) are already part of this initiative. In April, Dubrovnik revealed its plans to reduce plastic pollution in the period 2021-2026. Now, the Croatian city will join the aforementioned municipalities by turning its plans and promises into concrete actions.

Opting for sustainable solutions

Dubrovnik seeks to limit the use of single-use plastics and replace certain plastic items with ones that are made of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. The municipality further shared that the use of disposable plastic will only be limited to public events that are (co) organised or (co) financed by the city. In these cases, the institutions and companies arranging the events must make arrangements for the timely collection and appropriate disposal of waste.

In addition to its measures to reduce plastic, the City of Dubrovnik will also discourage the use of paper. More specifically, the municipality revealed that it will now advise its employees and officials to use digital documents instead of paper.

The city’s adaptation of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Action Plan makes Dubrovnik the first municipality in Croatia to have such a document. What is more, it serves as proof of the city’s dedication to protecting the environment and becoming more sustainable.