Mykonos is known around the world for its clear blue waters and beaches, but a recent cleanup operation revealed that much of the Greek island’s waste is hidden underwater.
Four cleanup operations carried out on Mykonos from July 1 to 3 removed approximately 767 kilograms (1690 lb) of waste from the island’s coastline and surrounding waters. The striking finding was the sharp contrast between what was collected on the beaches and what was found on the seabed.
Just 22 kilograms (48 lb) of waste were collected during two coastal cleanups, while underwater teams recovered 744.6 kilograms (1640 lb) from the seabed.
The figures offer a reminder that a beach that appears clean from the shore does not necessarily mean that the surrounding marine environment is free of pollution.
A Very Different Picture Beneath the Surface
The two coastal cleanups took place at Korfos, on the western side of Mykonos near Ornos and Chora, and on Rhenia, the uninhabited island opposite Delos.
Together, they yielded approximately 22 kilograms of waste. Plastics made up about 36 percent of the material collected, while bottle caps and rings accounted for another 17 percent.
The underwater operations produced a dramatically different result.
Divers worked at Divounia, between Paraga and Kalafatis, and in the harbor of Ornos. They removed approximately 744.6 kilograms of waste from the seabed.
Divounia alone accounted for 512.5 kilograms, making it the largest source of recovered waste among the four locations.
Among the more striking objects found underwater were 10 large vehicle tires, including tires from tractors or trucks.
Plastic bottles and aluminum cans were also found in large numbers, together accounting for more than 30 percent of the underwater waste.
What the Cleanup Revealed
The numbers are notable precisely because they tell two different stories.
On the surface, the coastal areas included in the cleanup operations produced a relatively small amount of waste. Beneath the water, however, divers encountered more than 30 times as much waste by weight.
That contrast highlights one of the less visible problems facing heavily visited Greek islands: marine pollution can accumulate in places that are largely invisible to visitors standing on the beach.
For Mykonos, where the coastline and sea are central to the island’s international appeal, the findings underline the importance of looking beyond the appearance of the shore and addressing waste that has already entered the marine environment.
Cleanup operations can remove what has accumulated, but keeping the sea clean ultimately depends on preventing waste from reaching it in the first place.
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