Balearic Coastline to Have a Stronger Ocean Clean-Up Service

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.