Join #Potavristou Challenge This September!
Last Year, Volunteers Collected 30 Tons of Litter From 294 Sites in 15 Countries For #Potavristou.
Last year, 2,832 volunteers collected 30 tons of litter from 294 sites in 15 countries during September 2023 for #Potavristou—a record we aim to surpass this year!
September marks the month of #Potavristou, and AKTI invites you to participate! Every year since September of 2019, AKTI organizes the #Potavristou challenge. It’s simple: individuals or groups can get involved by picking up litter wherever they are, counting it, and sending the data and photos to AKTI’s social media, Instagram and Facebook. Alternatively, participants can upload photos of their cleanup to their own social media accounts with the hashtags #Potavristou, #Akti, and #SeaTheChange in the post’s description.
In the past five years of #Potavristou, over 10,000 volunteers have collected 77 tons of litter from 1,050 locations in Cyprus and 250 locations abroad from Singapore to California, Malta, and Japan! This effort has prevented a huge amount of waste from entering the sea and coming back to us as harmful microplastics. Since its inception, #Potavristou has received significant international attention and accolades for its originality, including an award from Ocean Conservancy in 2020 and the Carob Award in 2022 for the second most successful social media campaign.
1. Wherever you are: On the mountains, at the beach, in a park, field, city, or village—#Potavristou by picking up as much litter as you can.
2. Count the litter: Record the number of items such as plastic bottles, cups, cigarette butts, etc.
3. Take a picture: Document your cleanup effort.
4. Upload your picture: Share it on Facebook/Instagram with the hashtags #Potavristou, #TeamOcean, and #Akti. Include the data, location, and participants. (If your Instagram account is private, post on Facebook instead and tag AKTI, or message us directly.)
1. If there are no trash cans nearby, take the litter with you.
2. If transporting the litter is difficult, contact the nearest municipality for assistance.
3. If you’re on a boat, dispose of the litter in public bins found at every port.
4. Whenever possible, separate the litter and use recycling bins (many PMD bins are available).
Now that you know how simple it is, get started and #potavristou!
Find AKTI on social media
https://www.instagram.com/akti_ngo/
https://www.facebook.com/akti.cy
https://www.linkedin.com/company/akti-project-and-research-centre/
