The Balearic Islands remove 7.6 tonnes of waste from the coastline during May

Mallorca accounted for the largest volume collected in the archipelago, with 3,693.68 kilos.

The coastal cleaning service, coordinated by the public company PortsIB, attached to the Regional Ministry for the Sea and the Water Cycle, removed a total of 7,599.43 kilos of waste from the waters and coasts of the Balearic Islands during the month of May. This figure represents a daily average of 245.14 kilos collected by the 23 vessels that make up the cleaning operation, consisting of 15 beach vessels and eight coastal vessels.

Mallorca was the island that recorded the highest volume of waste collected, with 3,693.68 kilos, representing nearly half of the total removed across the archipelago. It was followed by Menorca, with 1,942.25 kilos; Ibiza, with 1,524.90 kilos; and Formentera, with 438.60 kilos.

By type of vessel, the coastal units collected 4,888.35 kilos, while the beach vessels removed 2,711.08 kilos. Both types of vessel operated daily throughout the month with the aim of removing floating waste and contributing to the environmental conservation of the Balearic coastline.

As for the nature of the materials collected, wood made up the main type of waste removed, accounting for 56.48% of the total. It was followed by plastics, which represented 39.29%, and vegetation, with 1.96%. The remainder consisted of other types of waste.

In addition to routine cleaning work, the vessels carried out several special operations. In Mallorca, they removed remains of vegetation, logs and floating wood, as well as providing assistance to two drifting vessels. In Menorca, several large logs were collected. In Ibiza, a snake found in the sea and a board from a vessel were removed. In Formentera, various pieces of wood and floating plastic waste were collected.

During the month of May, five alerts were handled, three of which were managed in collaboration with Maritime Rescue and the 112 emergency service, while the other two came from institutions and private individuals.

The coastal cleaning campaign, coordinated by PortsIB, will remain active until 30 September.