Javea bans smoking on all its beaches

The City of Javea has banned smoking on all its beaches following the lead taken by cities as large as Barcelona, with cigarette butts making up more than a third of all waste.

The proposal presented by Toni Miragall, Councillor for Tourism and the Environment, sees a total smoking ban on all beaches in the municipality as it looks to reduce waste and sea pollution.

A full ban on the sale of cigarettes in the city was proposed by Compromis but didn’t achieve the support it needed for the legislation to be passed.

The decision comes in the knowledge that cigarette butts can be consumed by sea life-endangering their lives and can take as much as 10 years to break down.

The ban on smoking follows the acceptance of an earlier proposal to introduce parking charges on the beachfront during the summer, as well as the introduction of a publicity campaign to make residents aware of how to dispose of nappies and sanitary towels properly.

The same applies to wet wipes, which are prone to blocking sewerage systems and adding to the pollution problem in the sea and surrounding areas.

The ban on smoking on Javea’s beaches is the first step taken by the council in creating smoke and pollution-free zones, with more areas to be given the same designation in the future.

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