Volunteers carry out Delos cleanup, collecting 757 kilograms of marine debris

Greek environmental organization All For Blue has conducted a cleanup operation on the Cycladic island of Delos, successfully collecting 757 kilograms of marine debris.

A team consisting of 42 volunteers and five divers from Athens and Mykonos focused their efforts on the northern part of Delos, an area plagued by a severe trash issue. During their mission last Sunday, they discovered and removed various items, including plastic pipes, fishing equipment, ropes, plastic bags, hundreds of single-use plastics, styrofoam fragments, and numerous aluminum cans. All the gathered waste was then transported to the port via an inflatable boat, where it was carefully tallied and sorted. The aluminum cans will be recycled at the Aluminum Can Recycling Center.

Additionally, divers retrieved jerry cans, basins, flip-flops, mops, brooms, and dozens of single-use plastic bottles, with some of the latter being remnants left behind by boat visitors.

“We believe that we are giving back to a place that has given us so much. Our volunteers have left behind a significantly improved image of the island, one that every visitor should have the opportunity to witness. Returning to Delos represents a long-standing commitment,” explained Katerina Topouzoglou, an international underwater target shooting champion, freediving expert, and the founder of All For Blue.

The initiative received support from the Cycladic Ephorate of Antiquities. 

Themis Vakoulis, the chief archaeologist in Delos, emphasized the importance of respecting and preserving the island, saying, “The Ionians of the Aegean selected this small location to construct their sanctuary for the god Apollo. Both ideologically and literally, it was a pristine place for them, and that’s why they chose it. As its inheritors, we have a responsibility to honor and protect it.”