NEWS: Porto San Giorgio Hosts the First JOINABLE Beach Monitoring and Clean-Up Activity in the Marche Region
On 21 November 2025, the city of Porto San Giorgio hosted the first beach monitoring and clean-up activity of the JOINABLE project in the Marche region. The initiative marked the first of five activities planned in this region during the initial phase of the project and recorded a high level of participation, with a strong focus on youth involvement.
The activity was promoted by AMAP in cooperation with the Municipality of Porto San Giorgio and the “G. e M. Montani” Technical Institute of Fermo, with technical support provided by Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (VLPF). As a project partner, VLPF supervised and supported the on-site activities, offering methodological and digital assistance and guiding participants throughout the monitoring and clean-up process.
Students and teachers from the Montani Institute, coordinated by the school’s Chemistry Department, actively participated in the collection, classification, and cataloguing of marine litter found on the beach. The activity made use of innovative digital tools provided within the JOINABLE project and developed by VLPF in the framework of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”. These included the REMIDIES App for standardized monitoring of beached marine litter in line with European standards, and SeaClear 2.0 – Mare Pulito, designed to support clean-up actions and the calculation of plastic footprint data.
In parallel, sand samples were collected and will be analysed at the school laboratories using environmentally friendly methodologies. The aim of these analyses is to identify potential traces of microplastics and to further investigate the impacts of pollution on marine ecosystems. The results will be shared with the local community through public events and dedicated dissemination activities.
Essential logistical support was provided by SGDS Multiservizi of Porto San Giorgio, which made its premises along the port seafront available and supplied materials, equipment, and operational spaces necessary for waste sorting activities.
Institutional representatives, including the Vice-President of AMAP and the Mayor of Porto San Giorgio, addressed the participants and highlighted the importance of JOINABLE project activities in raising environmental awareness among younger generations. Their presence underlined the commitment of local institutions and the value of cooperation between public authorities, schools, and the community, which represents a core element of the JOINABLE approach to promoting a sustainable blue and circular economy.
The event of 21 November represents the beginning of a broader programme of activities. Further monitoring and clean-up initiatives will take place on other beaches along the Marche coastline in the coming year, involving an increasing number of local stakeholders and citizens.
Similar activities will be organised across all partner countries within the JOINABLE project, contributing to the collection of harmonised and comprehensive data on beach litter in the Adriatic-Ionian region and supporting evidence-based decision-making for marine and coastal environmental protection.
