Piles of fishing nets to be recycled: the Vox Maris project in Porto Torres

Piles of fishing nets, now turned into waste to be disposed of, abandoned on the fishing boat dock of the civic port of Porto Torres, recovered as part of Vox Maris , the circular economy project dedicated to the recovery and recycling of end-of-life fishing nets.
The initiative, promoted by the BioDesign Foundation with the support of the municipal administration, took place this morning with the placement of special containers (big bags) on the dock, where fishermen and local operators could dispose of their used nets. Thanks to the use of the innovative TrinamiX sensor, it was possible to directly identify the type of plastic composing each net in the field, facilitating subsequent sorting and recycling operations.
The goal is to promote a virtuous model for managing discarded fishing nets and combat the phenomenon of "ghost fishing ," a serious threat to the marine ecosystem. Lost or abandoned fishing nets and gear can become veritable traps for fish, turtles, and other marine animals, which risk becoming entangled. Furthermore, as they progressively deteriorate, they contribute to the dispersion of microplastics and potentially toxic substances into the marine environment, with consequences for the food chain. Filming was also done during the day for the documentary " From Net to Net Worth ," a reportage that will chronicle the various stages of the Vox Maris project in the coastal municipalities of Sardinia.
The documentary will be presented to the Ministry of the Environment and the European Commission, with the aim of proposing Sardinia as the first European case study for the structured management of end-of-life fishing nets. " We received many abandoned nets in the port ," emphasized the project coordinator. "We worked to separate the various materials, polyethylene and polyamides, which can pollute the seas and contribute to ecosystem degradation. This initiative offers a practical and free solution for the disposal of complex materials like end-of-life nets."