There is no doubt that the problem of water pollution is very serious for our country nowadays. Illegal dumping of organic and plastic waste, discharge of untreated wastewater, pesticides and livestock waste into rivers, pollution as a result of recreational activities are urgent problems.

In 2019 at the initiative of the Nova Kakhovka City Nongovernmental Environmental Organization “Mama-86-Nova Kakhovka” a campaign to study the pollution of the banks of surface waters of the Kherson region was conducted. As a result, the identified waste included: plastic waste – 56%, paper and cardboard – 19.46%, building materials, ceramics, glass – 11.12%, metal – 7.47%, rubber – 2.57%, treated wood – 2.03%, textiles – 1.38% and other waste – 0.04%. All this litter enters the Black Sea via the Dnieper and is one of the biggest threats to its ecosystem, also to human health and economic welfare.

The project ” Cleaner rivers – cleaner seas” (CRoCuS), where “Mama-86-Nova Kakhovka” is one of the partners, aims to reduce river littering and, consequently, the Black Sea littering.

The CRoCuS project is a synergistic action of 4 NGOs, Project Partners WiSDOM та Ecotox (Moldova), “Mama-86-Nova Kakhovka”, (Ukraine), Oancea City Hall (Rumania) under the leadership of the Lead Partner – the Earth Forever Foundation (Bulgaria), who came together to produce innovative tools for rapid assessment of river litter and waste recycling potential, promote sustainable waste management practices, share good practices.

The project fits into the EU-wide “quantitative reduction headline target for marine litter and promote a healthy and safe environment in the Black Sea region” and, consequently improving the sanitary condition of the recreational zone of the Kakhovka Reservoir and the Dnieper.

As the crocus flower, which is spread everywhere and is the symbol of cleanliness and purity, so thus the CRoCuS project will contribute to reduction of river littering and therefore to marine litter.