ΑΚΤΗ / AKTI Project and Research Centre

07/10/2026

keeps growing: over 135 tons of waste collected and 21,800 volunteers from 2,545 locations worldwide in just 8 years!

Swipe to see just some of this year’s contributions.

In September 2026, 4,796 volunteers took action through , collecting more than 25 tonnes of litter from 451 locations worldwide.

This year’s campaign surpassed last year’s record, taking the Cypriot movement to new parts of the world: From the Philippines and Sri Lanka to Zanzibar, and from New York to Australia and Japan, travelled around the world once again this year. Cities, coastlines, mountains, parks and lakes were cleaned through spontaneous citizen action in every corner of the globe, while the field data collected were analysed by AKTI’s scientific team: 83% of the litter collected was plastic!

Across eight years of , 21,800 volunteers have now taken part, collecting more than 135 tonnes of litter from over 2,545 locations in Cyprus and around the world.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, sent us their data, shared photos and helped us map litter pollution across the world!

And a special thank you to the organisations, groups and businesses that contributed data and action this year, including CYMEPA , Save Your Hood , Ten Little Pieces , Kawa Foundation Zanzibar , Pro Dive Cyprus , Odyssea AVIS, American University of Beirut (AUB) , Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus and Cyprus Environment Foundation .

05/10/2026

🌊💙 We’re making young people think Blue-er and Green-er!

As part of the Seatechub project, AKTI brought “Youth Thinks Blue and Green” to our three-day Intercommunal Educational Camp in Lofou, engaging 25 young people in hands-on learning and action around the climate crisis, its impacts on marine and terrestrial environments, citizen action and citizen science.

The camp was implemented by AKTI Project and Research Centre and MASDER, with the support of the French Embassy in Cyprus.

Participants dove into a lecture and open discussions on the climate crisis and its impacts on marine and terrestrial environments, before exploring the importance of citizen action and citizen science for collecting valuable environmental data.

They then put this into practice through AKTI’s citizen science cleanup campaign, collecting litter along the Elytzi Trail and contributing to environmental data collection.

The next day, we kept the learning creative. In a storytelling exercise, participants worked in groups, chose one piece of litter collected during the cleanup, created a story around it and presented it to the rest of the group. They then put their environmental knowledge to the test through a team quiz.

Empowering young minds, creating change, and fostering sustainable Blue Economies! 🌍♻️

05/10/2026

In Croatia, AKTI is bringing policy, innovation and market uptake into the marine robotics conversation at Breaking the Surface 2026!

On 23 October, Dr Xenia Loizidou will present insights from AKTI’s work within the Seatechub project through the lecture “Bridging Innovation, Policy, and Market Uptake in Blue Technology and Marine Robotics.”

The session will look at what is needed to move blue technologies from development and testing to deployment and commercialisation, from AI regulation and testing environments to innovation support and blue economy policy. Through an interactive process, participants will also identify policy gaps and needs that can help accelerate market uptake and strengthen collaboration between research, industry and policymakers.

Bringing together experts in maritime robotics, marine technology, research and industry, Breaking the Surface is an international interdisciplinary workshop focused on marine technologies and their real-world applications.

📅 23 October 2026
🕘 09:45–10:30

👉 Full session details:
https://bts.fer.hr/session/bridging-innovation-policy-and-market-uptake-in-blue-technology-and-marine-robotics-lecture-and-interactive-gaps-and-needs-process/

04/10/2026

στην παραλία Καρνάγιο, στην Λεμεσό.

Μαζέψαμε 367 κιλά σκουπίδια σε μόλις 30 λεπτά!

Ευχαριστούμε την καταπληκτική ομάδα κατάδυσης prodive που ήταν μαζί μας, αναλαμβάνοντας με επιτυχία τον καθαρισμό βυθού.

Αφού το είδες που το είδες, ολόχρονα!

Το υποβρύχιο υλικό παραχωρήθηκε από την ομάδα Pro Dive Cyprus.

03/10/2026

🚐 ✨ Το Καραβάνι της Τηγανοκίνησης βγαίνει στους δρόμους και φέτος, για μια ακόμη χρονιά γεμάτη μάθηση και δράση!

📍 Πρώτη στάση για τον μήνα Οκτώβριο: Πάφος

💡 Στόχος μας; Να εξηγήσουμε τη διαδικασία μετατροπής μαγειρικού λαδιού σε βιοντίζελ και να παρουσιάσουμε βιώσιμες πρακτικές μέσα από επιστημονικές επιδείξεις! 🍳

Θέλεις να επισκεφθούμε το σχολείο σου τη σχολική χρονιά 2026 - 2027; Δήλωσε το ενδιαφέρον σου εδώ 👉 https://www.tiganokinisi.eu/aitisi-symmetochis-gia-scholeia/

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🚐 ✨ The Tiganokinisi Caravan is back on the road, kicking off another school year filled with learning and action!

📍 First stop for October: Paphos

💡 Our goal? To educate students about recycling used cooking oil and sustainable living practices through interactive, scientific demonstrations! ♻️🍳

Do you want us to visit your school during the 2026 - 2027 school year? Register your interest here 👉 https://www.tiganokinisi.eu/aitisi-symmetochis-gia-sc

02/10/2026

5 Years of the Intercommunal Educational Camp! 🌿 🏕️

For the past five years, AKTI Project and Research Centre and MASDER have been bringing young people from across Cyprus’s communities together to learn, exchange experiences and talk openly about the environmental challenges affecting the island.

Having H.E. Clélia Chevrier Kolačko, Ambassador of France to Cyprus, and Fabien Méheust from the Institut français de Chypre join us on the final day of this year’s Intercommunal Educational Camp in Lofou was a meaningful way to close another year of this initiative.

A big thank you to the French Embassy in Cyprus for supporting this space for dialogue, learning and connection for five consecutive years.

The Intercommunal Educational Camp was organised by AKTI Project and Research Centre and MASDER, with the support of the French Embassy in Cyprus.

Ambassade de France à Chypre Institut français de Chypre - Γαλλικό Ινστιτούτο Κύπρου Mağusa Suriçi Derneği

02/10/2026

Για εκπαιδευτικούς: Πώς μιλάμε για την κλιματική αλλαγή χωρίς να μένουμε μόνο στη θεωρία;

Στις 21 και 22 Οκτωβρίου, σε Λευκωσία και Λεμεσό, πραγματοποιούνται τα σεμινάρια «Τα Εργαλεία του Εκπαιδευτικού για το Κλίμα», στο πλαίσιο του METAVASEA.

Στο επίκεντρο: μύθοι και πραγματικότητες για την κλιματική αλλαγή, κλιματικό στρες και πρακτικοί τρόποι για περισσότερη δράση στο σχολείο.

📍 21 Οκτωβρίου | Λευκωσία
📍 22 Οκτωβρίου | Λεμεσός

🔗 Πληροφορίες & εγγραφές:
https://medies.net/metavasea-seminaria-ekpaideytikon-kypros/

Συν-διοργάνωση:
CYMEPA Κυπριακή Ένωση Προστασίας Θαλάσσιου Περιβάλλοντος www.cymepa.org.cy
MIO - ECSDE Μεσογειακό Γραφείο Πληροφόρησης για το Περιβάλλον τον Πολιτισμό και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη
MEdIES Μεσογειακή Εκπαιδευτική Πρωτοβουλία για το Περιβάλλον και την Αειφορία, www.medies.net

The “Mediterranean Education Initiative on Environment and Sustainability” (MEdIES) is the long-standing initiative of MIO-ECSDE dealing with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), a holistic type of education that addresses equally the economic, ecological and social dimensions of any giv...

29/09/2026

RegenSoil is developing a community-owned scheme to transform agricultural and community green waste and manure, into around 300 tonnes of high-quality compost annually – improving soil structure, fertility and water retention across approximately 26 hectares of local farmland. 🌱💧

As part of the project’s preliminary feasibility assessment and proof-of-concept work, the team carried out composting trials at AKTI’s facility in Kornos.

We sourced and prepared the required substrates, tested different compost mixtures using local materials, and evaluated the operating parameters of key equipment, including the tractor and shredder.

The trials have helped finalise the compost recipes and update key operational parameters, helping shape the composting unit being established in Kalavasos.

A practical circular-economy response to organic waste and increasingly stressed agricultural soils.

Implemented by: Cyprus Environment Foundation, ΑΚΤΗ / AKTI Project and Research Centre, Isotech Ltd.

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Το έργο RegenSoil αναπτύσσει ένα κοινοτικό πρόγραμμα για τη μετατροπή γεωργικών και κοινοτικών πράσινων αποβλήτων και κοπριάς, σε περίπου 300 τόνους κομπόστ υψηλής ποιότητας ετησίως – βελτιώνοντας τη δομή, τη γονιμότητα και την ικανότητα συγκράτησης νερού του εδάφους σε έκταση περίπου 26 εκταρίων καλλιεργήσιμης γης. 🌱💧

Στο πλαίσιο της προκαταρκτικής μελέτης σκοπιμότητας και των δοκιμαστικών εφαρμογών της προτεινόμενης λύσης, η ομάδα πραγματοποίησε δοκιμές κομποστοποίησης στις εγκαταστάσεις της ΑΚΤΗΣ στον Κόρνο.

Προετοιμάσαμε τα υποστρώματα, δοκιμάσαμε μείγματα κομπόστ με τοπικά υλικά και αξιολογήσαμε τον βασικό εξοπλισμό, συμπεριλαμβανομένων του τρακτέρ και του τεμαχιστή.

Οι δοκιμές συνέβαλαν στην οριστικοποίηση των συνταγών κομπόστ και στην επικαιροποιήση των βασικών λειτουργικών παραμέτρων, συμβάλλοντας στον σχεδιασμό της μονάδας κομποστοποίησης που δημιουργείται στο Καλαβασό.

Μια πρακτική απάντηση, στο πλαίσιο της κυκλικής οικονομίας, για τα οργανικά απόβλητα και τα γεωργικά εδάφη που υφίστανται αυξανόμενη πίεση.

Υλοποίηση έργου: Cyprus Environment Foundation, ΑΚΤΗ / AKTI Project and Research Centre, Isotech Ltd.

29/09/2026

Our Intercommunal Educational Camp on climate change is a wrap! 🙌

From 25–27 September, 25 young people came together in Lofou for 3 days of learning, exchange and action, organised by AKTI Project and Research Centre and MASDER, with the support of the French Embassy in Cyprus. Ambassade de France à Chypre

This year, we focused on climate change, wildfires and their impact on our environment and everyday lives. Lofou made this especially relevant: the village was severely affected by the July 2025 Limassol wildfire, and AKTI later carried out restoration actions in the area with the support of Chevron Cyprus.

Through open discussions and activities, participants explored fire ecology, wildfire management and preparedness, and the Monument Trees of Famagusta Walled City as part of Intangible Cultural Heritage. During AKTI’s participatory workshop, participants also shared experiences, concerns, gaps and priorities around how the climate crisis affects their daily lives.

We then took the learning outdoors, hiking the Elytzi Trail through the fire-affected landscape, spotting the first signs of natural recovery and picking up litter along the way as part of . 🌱

Learning stayed interactive throughout the camp, with storytelling activities and a team environmental quiz. We also joined Lofou’s Palouze Festival, where we learned how palouzes is traditionally made and, of course, tasted it too! 😋

We were delighted to welcome the Ambassador of France to Cyprus, H.E. Clélia Chevrier Kolačko, together with Fabien Méheust from the French Institute of Cypru Institut français de Chypre - Γαλλικό Ινστιτούτο Κύπρου
s, on the final day. The French Embassy in Cyprus has been supporting this initiative for the past five years, and we are truly grateful for their continued support.

A big thank you to our dear friend, biologist and ecologist Tuğberk Emirzade, for voluntarily sharing his knowledge with the group, to Ziba Sertbay & Hasan Bereket, to our partners at MASDER, to the Community Leader of Lofou, Yiannos Neophytou, and, to all participants!

Until next time! 🌿🤝

Serdar Atai Yol Üstü Lofou Village - Λόφου Κοινοτικό Συμβούλιο Λόφου MAĞUSA SURİÇİ DERNEĞİ (MASDER)