The island of Ithaca has banned plastic bags and is set to replace them with textile bags. The Greek island will distribute the eco-friendly bags free of charge.
Ithaca’s Mayor Dionysis Stanitsas, who wone recent municipal elections by a landslide, saw to it that the new bags were distributed to students. On the mayor’s Facebook account, here is what he had to say about the initiative:
“The Municipality of Ithaca is banning plastic bags by starting with the schools and distributing textile bags in the context of environmental protection. The bags will be distributed free of charge at the Ithaca Command Center.”
Ithaca is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea. It is identified with Homer’s Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, whose delayed return to the island is the plot of the globally known classical Greek tale The Odyssey.
We expect to see more Greek islands and municipalities follow suit with this bold and sustainable initiative. Earlier this year, the Sea Change Greek Islands, an initiative sponsored by the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, worked with officials of Donoussa island to ban all use of single-use plastics on the island, including but not limited to: plastic bags, straws, cups, plates, and cutlery.