Cleaning tasks on the beaches of Benidorm results in a balance of 540 tons of waste collected in 2023

Last year, Benidorm City Council, through the concessionaire company for comprehensive beach management, RA Benidorm, collected just over 540 tons of waste from the city's sandy beaches and also from the strip of sea closest to the coast. This is reflected in a statistic released this Thursday by the Councilor for Beaches, Mónica Gómez, who has indicated that these data support “the importance for this City Council of caring for our beaches and the daily work we do to keep them in perfect magazine condition.”

The councillor recalled that Benidorm “is one of the few cities in Spain that keeps all beach services active, such as cleaning or rescue and lifeguard services, twelve months a year. "We never close for the season here," said Mónica Gómez, who also highlighted that "it couldn't be any other way, if we take into account that even in the low season months the volume of users is very high."

Thus, the number of workers in charge of cleaning beaches amounts to 28 workers and different machinery, including four screeners different tractors and other vehicles for different tasks. The councillor has clarified that during the low season 13 workers, four drivers, a mechanic, a foreman and a manager, carry out cleaning of the beaches in the morning, from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and with machinery at night, between 10:30 p.m. and 4:50 a.m.

Regarding the balance of cleaning during 2023, the municipal manager of Playas has explained that the total amount of waste collected amounts to 544,500 kilograms, with manual collection of municipal solid waste being the one with the highest percentage of waste, with a total of 360,750 kilograms. collected in the sandy areas of Levante, Poniente, Mal Pas and the coves in January and December. This section is one of those that best reflects the intensive use of the beaches during the twelve months of the year in Benidorm since, although during the summer season, the figures multiply, "the report also shows that in the months of lower occupancy "like January or February, the volume of waste generated is also very high and we continue cleaning day and night with the same intensity," explained Mónica Gómez.

Specifically, during January 2023, manual waste collection of urban solid waste reached 11,600 kilograms; in February, 9,060 kg.; In March the quantity increased to 15,220 kg; in April, to 24,300 kg., a figure that was very similar in May, with 24,860 kg. In June there is a new increase reaching 37,040 kilograms, while in July, August and September the figures shoot up to 67,450, 82,580 and 38,500 kilos, respectively. In the last quarter of the year, the figures decreased again, with 25,480 kg. in October, 12,240 in November and, finally, 12,420 kilos in December.

Another form of waste collection on beaches is carried out using screening machines, a system that also works 365 days a year and that throughout 2023 managed to remove 168,360 kilograms of garbage, with quantities which ranged between 5,480 kilos – the month of lowest volume – and 28,100 in the month of greatest activity, which was again August.

The Councilor for Beaches has pointed out that, along with the manual and mechanical work that is carried out on the sand, in the high season months the cleaning of beaches is also reinforced by the sea, using a pelican boat to prevent plastics and other type of waste from the sea ends up reaching the coast. This boat, which operates during June, July and August, collected a total of 110 kilograms of garbage: 30, 30 and 50, respectively.

Another notable data is related to the selective collection of waste deposited in specific bins for packaging and for paper and cardboard, of which 2,280 kilograms were removed, mostly concentrated during April, May, June, July and August.

Mónica Gómez has pointed out that, in addition to everything mentioned above, other actions are also carried out, such as treatments related to the presence of Posidonia remains on the shore. In this sense, the mayor of Playas recalled that in Benidorm the remains of this marine plant that wash up on the shore are not collected, precisely, “because they are the best natural protection barrier of our coastline and a sign of good health. of the water and the seabed.

Finally, the councillor stated that the data on total waste collection should lead us to “reflect and be aware of the enormous amount of waste we generate”, after which she called for awareness of citizens so that “we also take care of our coastline and try to reduce” the amount of waste that is deposited daily both in the sea and on sandy beaches.