The Ambassador of Italy in Mozambique said that his country will invest this year 20 million euros to support mangrove conservation projects on Inhaca Island, in Maputo city and Ibo, in Cabo Delgado province.

Gianni Bardini also mentioned that Italy is funding projects at the Eduardo Mondlane University aimed at researching solutions for environmental protection.

The Italian diplomat was speaking this Saturday in Maputo, at the Costa do Sol beach, during the central celebrations of the World Coastal Cleanup Day.

The European Union Representative in Mozambique, António Benedito Gaspar, said that the organization is committed to continue working on adaptation, mitigation, and commitment to sustainable and greener growth.

And Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Land and Environment, Emílio Fumo, said that his institution has already received alternative proposals for the replacement of the ordinary plastic bag.

Emília Fumo underlined that discussions are still going on at various levels in the context of the creation of the regulation to ban the importation and use of plastic bags in Mozambique.

Data from the United Nations Environment Program indicate that only nine percent of discarded plastics are recycled.

Sixty percent are dumped in landfills or on vacant lots.

The plastic garbage thrown into the seas attracts toxins that are swallowed by fish and crustaceans, which serve as food for humans.

The environmental and social costs of using plastic products amount to one hundred and thirty-nine billion per year due in large part to the greenhouse gas emissions produced in their manufacture and transportation.