No smoking on the beach

No smoking sign on Canary Islands beach

Smoking banned on a beach in the Canary Islands. Image by Zen HP/Shutterstock

TOWN HALLS in Mallorca could soon ban smoking on the beach.

A Spanish law is currently being drawn up based on national and European residue legislation that could be used by local councils to prohibit smoking on the sand due to the generation of cigarette butt refuse.

Until now, the Balearic Islands Government could only advise beach-goers not to smoke under the ‘Platges sense Fum’ (‘Smoke-free beaches’) campaign, but the future Royal Decree will reportedly authorise local councils to ban smoking completely and fine smokers who do so.

The law up also attributes a responsibility to tobacco producers in the treatment of cigarette butts. According to European regulations, this type of refuse is classed as single-use plastics, due to the presence of this material.

The Balearic Islands Environment department has filed allegations to the national law currently being processed to speed up the treatment of cigarette butt refuse and suggest the creation of a system for the deposit and return of this type of waste through specific and sustainable containers, which would be given to the customer when buying cigarettes.

The law already foresees the installation of specific waste bins for butts, but the regional government believes this will be insufficient given the presence of cigarette butts on the floor everywhere.

Nearly 21,000 cigarette butts have been cleared from beaches in Mallorca since January alone.

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Written by

Glenn Wickman

Glenn has been working on English-language newspapers in Alicante Province for more than 16 years. He currently writes the local news and Social Scene events for the Costa Blanca North and Mallorca editions of the Euro Weekly News.

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