Paxos’ resident population of 2,500 is increased by summer visitors to reach 12,000. This makes us Paxiots very proud and happy to make all visitors more than welcome.
However, this also results in a massive impact on the fragile natural balance of the island. Simple and underfunded community services to collect and dispose of rubbish are seriously stretched.
Our initial goal is to keep this impact to its current level. Already quite a challenge considering the regular increase of visitors from year to year. More ambitiously, we will work hard to:

• Have the use of single-use plastic bags on the island reduced and finally abandoned, and replaced with either paper, bio-degradable, or reusable shopping bags.
• Have plastic cups replaced by cardboard or aluminium ones.
• Find alternatives to single-use plastic bottles, by far the most invasive on the environment compared to other kinds of rubbish.
• Convince the authorities that an improved system for proper waste management is essential if the natural beauty of the island is to be preserved so that visitors will still want to come to Paxos.

To help us achieve these goals, we will inform and communicate about these issues and the proven solutions we collect from similar projects around the planet. This communication, aiming at raising awareness about these issues, will be done by electronic media, workshops and presentations in Paxos schools, public projections and events. We aim to make ground breaking proposals to reach the eventual goal of a Plastic Free Paxos.