This year, the campaign began a month earlier than planned, with the incorporation of a hybrid boat to improve efficiency.
During May and June in the Balearic Islands, the coastal cleaning boats of the Regional Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle collected a total of 9,005.75 kilograms of waste, a significant figure that stands out due to the early start of the campaign this year, beginning in May instead of June.
In total, 9,005.75 kilos have been recovered in the Balearic Islands, which translates into a daily average of 296.48 kilos of waste. This cleaning campaign is carried out thanks to the work of the 22 beach and coastal boats contracted by the Directorate General of Ports and Maritime Transport for this task, including this year a hybrid diesel-electric boat, which has been incorporated into the fleet to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
The coastal cleaning service collected more than 9 tonnes of waste during May and June
During May, more than 3,447 kilos of waste were collected throughout the Balearic Islands. Mallorca was the island with the largest amount of waste collected, accumulating 1,678 kilos. Menorca followed with just over 1,072 kilos, while Eivissa and Formentera collected 478 and 218 kilos respectively. In this collection, wood was the predominant waste, representing 66.85% of the total, followed by plastic with 26.94% and other types of waste such as wheels and beach material which accounted for 5.86%.
In June, the amount of waste collected increased significantly, exceeding 5,558 kilos throughout the archipelago. Menorca led with 2,311 kilos, closely followed by Mallorca with more than 2,000 kilos. Eivissa collected more than 1,036 kilos and Formentera just over 209 kilos. In this month, wood continued to be the most collected material, representing 54.43% of the total, while plastic accounted for 38.77% and other waste 3.18%.
Beach boats, designed to operate in shallow waters and collect small floating waste, were responsible for collecting more than 2,030 kilos of waste during June. Of this, Mallorca contributed 531 kilos, Eivissa 699 kilos and Menorca almost 800 kilos. Formentera, on the other hand, had no waste collection with beach boats during this month.
As for coastal vessels, which operate both in shallow waters and in areas up to 5 miles offshore, they collected more than 3,500 kilos of waste in June. Mallorca was responsible for 1,469 kilos of this collection, Menorca with 1,512 kilos, Eivissa with 337 kilos, and Formentera with almost 210 kilos.
In addition to the regular collection work, special collections were carried out to deal with exceptional situations. In Mallorca, the remains of a boat, a trunk and a scattering of sea foam were removed in May, and a scattering of foam and several sticks in June. In Menorca, two large logs were removed in May and several logs in June. In Eivissa, pieces of a boat were collected in May, and a drifting boat and oil dispersion in June. In Formentera, sticks and oil dispersion were removed in May, and the remains of a boat and a log in June.
During these two months, the Regional Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle attended a total of eight alerts, five of which were managed in collaboration with the 112 emergency services and Maritime Rescue, while three were reported by institutions and individuals.
The rubbish recovery season began in May and will continue until 30 September.