Zlarin Plastic Free Island
Zlarin is a tiny Croatian island with a population of about 300 people, growing to around 4,000 in the summer season. In 2018, activists Ana Robb, Ivana Kordić and Nataša Kandijaš, came together with Tourist Board Zlarin and the Municipal Board to make Zlarin completely plastic free. Today they act through Association Tatavaka, continuing the work of this citizens’ initiative and working with neighbouring islands and communities who want to reduce their plastic footprint.
As a result, all shops, environmental NGOs, restaurants and local authorities came together to sign a charter vowing to stop using single-use items such as plastic bags, straws, cups in favour of more environmentally friendly alternatives. This led to the initiative winning the Adriatic Plastic Challenge for the most innovative solution against plastic pollution.
They estimate to be preventing over 15,000 plastic bags from entering the island’s seas each summer. Between summer 2018 and summer 2019 alone, about 162,000 single-use plastic items were eliminated from consumption on the island of Zlarin.
