Plastics collected during Elche (Alicante) pupils’ beach-cleaning initiative underlines some sobering facts

EIGHTY pupils from four Elche schools cleared plastics and rubbish from the El Altet and Arenales beaches on November 26.

More than 80 people took part in the initiative organised by Elche’s Environment department and the Victoria Kent high school, picking up more than five kilos of plastics and other litter.

Although plastic predominated, they also collected a considerable number of cigarette ends as well as wet wipes of all descriptions that had been washed out to sea and returned by the waves.

All the litter has been sent to the laboratory at the Victoria Kent school for classification, prior to informing the various bodies that chart and map the different types of plastics found along the Mediterranean coast.

“Today’s activity is part of the department’s strategy for preserving the municipality’s marine ecosystem,” said Elche’s Environment councillor Esther Diez.

“This is vitally important, bearing in mind the sobering figures showing that between 21 and 54 per cent of the world’s microplastics are found in the Mediterranean, while each day 30 million cans and plastic bottles are thrown away in Spain,” she added.

“The rubbish collected today demonstrate that we have to continue working to keep our coastline clean and to bring home to the public the impact this has on our environment and health.”

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