Balearic Coastline to Have a Stronger Ocean Clean-Up Service

More resources to remove plastic and waste from the Balearic coastline

What does it consist of?

A service led by Ports IB will deploy boats along coastal areas across the archipelago to collect floating waste and improve the quality of waters where people swim. The service, operational between May and September, is planned for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, with a total investment of more than €3 million.

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Data

PROJECT TITLE IN THE CALL
Deployment of boats on beaches and on the coast to protect and clean swimming waters and coves on the Balearic Islands
LOCATION
Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera
Entity submitting the PROJECT
Conselleria de la Mar i del Cicle de l'aigua
Entity that executes the project
Ports de les Illes Balears
Project code
ITS2425-151
Total project amount
4.837.731 €
ITS granted amount
3.225.154 €
Executed amount
2.935.538 €
Call year
2024-2025
Execution status
In execution
Purpose
Environment
Budget execution
Executed: 91.02%
Last data request
27.02.2026

The project

The seasonal increase of waste in the coastal waters of the Balearic Islands is a recurring issue during the busiest tourism periods. To deal with this, an ocean clean-up service has been set up, which will operate between 1 May and 30 September at the coves and beaches of the archipelago, collecting floating solids, semi-submerged solids and other marine waste.

The initiative includes the deployment of boats equipped for this task, manned by specialist staff and managed by the Coastal Clean-up Coordination Centre (CNL).Measures range from collection and sorting to the transport of waste to authorised ports, where it is delivered to approved waste managers for final treatment.

The contract, awarded to the joint venture FCC Medio Ambiente & Ecolmare Ibérica, covers not just rubbish collection, but also the generation of environmental data, the counting of jellyfish, the recording of microplastics and the drafting of annual reports with the results of each campaign. All material collected will be documented with photos and digitally processed.

The action is initially planned for 2024 and 2025, with the possibility of a yearly extension until 2026. The budget amounts to €3.2 million. This strategy is related to the new competences of Ports IB, granted by Decree Law 3/2024, which gives it direct obligations to protect and improve the marine environment.