The president of AKTI study and research centre, Xenia Loizides, has called for targeted measures to tackle significant plastic pollution along the Paphos coast, where microplastic concentrations have reached up to 4,000 particles per square meter. Data collected through ongoing monitoring since 2022 indicate this pollution is a persistent issue, not a recent development.

Loizides highlighted that while public concern has recently intensified, elevated microplastic levels are typically observed in winter. She linked the summer visibility spike to strong wave activity spreading plastics along the coast. Sources include illegal dumping and river discharges from neighboring Middle Eastern countries, alongside local pollution.

She urged authorities to inspect stormwater systems, enforce stricter controls on excursion vessels, improve fishing gear recycling, and better manage agricultural plastics. Moreover, Loizides warned against building new hard coastal defenses such as breakwaters, which disrupt natural processes and may worsen microplastic accumulation. AKTI stresses moving from problem identification to implementing practical solutions to safeguard coastal ecosystems.