From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 12, 2023
Volunteer divers collect trash from seabed for World Oceans Day
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
More than 50 volunteer divers grab some 400 pieces of garbage weighing a total of 120 kilograms (265 pounds) from the seabed in the first of several marine cleanup operations this month to mark World Oceans Day.
The first dives take place off the beaches of Jaffa and Herzliya in central Israel and Dor-Nachsholim in the north.
Most of the trash is made up of single-use plastic, food wrappers, and drink cans.
The divers come from Mishmar Hayam (Guards of the Sea), an organization of divers committed to cleaning up the Mediterranean. They are being supported by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Environmental Protection Ministry.
In a separate initiative on Saturday, volunteer divers from the Beach Patrol joined up with the navy to clean nine tons of garbage from the floor of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Eilat in southern Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.