Piraeus pollution strategy aims to clean up the seabed

Europe's waters are drowning in plastic — and Greece has had enough.

A chilling new report from the European Environment Agency warns that marine pollution is spiraling out of control, threatening not just ocean life but also tourism and coastal economies. Now, Greece is hitting back — launching an ambitious underwater cleanup in Piraeus, the country's largest and busiest port.

Once home to vibrant marine ecosystems, the seabed beneath Piraeus is now littered with plastic waste, ghost nets, and debris. But teams of divers and volunteers are leaping below the surface, armed with underwater drones and remote-controlled robots, determined to reclaim their waters.

"The challenges we face during seabed cleanups are many and complex," Katerina Topouzoglou told CGTN, founder of the environmental group All For Blue. "We need expensive equipment, constant training, and sadly, most of what we find comes from land — bottles, bags, and trash from tourism."

The operation is part of a broader push backed by the European Union, which has pledged to restore cleaner seas by 2030. Local initiatives like this one in Piraeus reflect EU ambitions to crack down on marine litter and protect fragile underwater ecosystems.

It's not just NGOs getting involved. Fishermen, too, are playing a key role in the cleanup. Konstantinos Giannakopoulos from Enaleia, a non-profit fighting plastic pollution and overfishing, says his team works with coastal fishing communities who collect plastic during their daily trips.

"Instead of throwing it back, they bring it ashore," he explains. "We then partner with recyclers to give this waste a second life — turning pollution into products and supporting the circular economy."

It's a win-win: cleaner seas and stronger communities. This grassroots effort embodies the spirit of the EU's Green Deal — which aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050.

But Topouzoglou believes true change goes deeper than policy. "Environmental education and local involvement are key," she says. "When people understand the problem, they become part of the solution."

With every ghost net removed and every plastic bottle pulled from the depths, hope is surfacing in Greece's ports. In Piraeus, what started as a local cleanup is fast becoming a movement — one that may just save the sea.