Plastic waste from Italian beaches becomes virtual museum Archeoplastica

Naturalist guide Enzo Suma has collected over 200 plastic items washed up on Puglian beaches, dating from the 1960s to the 1980s, and turned them into a virtual museum called Archeoplastica. The project, launched in 2018, aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution by exhibiting these 'artifacts'—such as an Ambre Solaire spray can from the 1960s-70s, a ball from Italia '90, a 1950s talc bottle, and a coffee package priced at 270 lire—in schools and public spaces. Suma began the collection after finding a vintage spray can with a price in lire and sharing it on Facebook, sparking discussions about plastic waste. The museum highlights the longevity of plastic, which remains in the environment for decades, and seeks to promote more conscious use of the material.