The velvet season on the beaches of Halkidiki has been disappointing with the juxtaposition of pristine white sand and piles of garbage. This is despite the fact that the famous beaches of Nea Iraklitsa and Nea Kallikratia have been awarded Blue Flags, a prestigious international ecological mark. Located just 50 km from Thessaloniki, these popular destinations for Greeks, Bulgarians, and Serbs have been receiving this award year after year. The Blue Flag is a quality certificate that primarily implies clean seawater. Additionally, the areas around the water must be free of garbage, and the beaches themselves must be equipped with showers, observation towers, rescue equipment, and emergency services.
However, at the end of the season, the managers responsible for maintaining the environmental condition of the beaches seem to have relaxed their efforts. As a result, mountains of garbage have accumulated near the recreation areas of the beach zone. Such a sight is not pleasant. Moreover, the contents of these piles attract stray animals, whose presence on the beaches is generally unacceptable.
The amount of household waste on the roadsides in these picturesque places was also a disappointing surprise. All this is in the vicinity of beautiful landscapes, historical monuments, and popular recreation areas. It remains to be hoped that the services responsible for the cleanliness of this resort area will pay attention to this, otherwise, the local beaches may lose their environmental status.
