Over Nine Tons of Waste Collected from the Balearic Sea in Just Two Months

The coastal cleaning vessels of the Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle have collected a total of 9,005.75 kilograms of waste in the Balearic Islands during May and June. This significant amount highlights the early start of the campaign this year, which began in May instead of June.

In total, 9,005.75 kilograms were recovered across the Balearic Islands, averaging 296.48 kilograms of waste per day. This cleaning campaign is carried out thanks to the work of 22 beach and coastal vessels hired by the Directorate General of Ports and Maritime Transport for this task. This year, the fleet includes a hybrid diesel-electric vessel to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

In May, over 3,447 kilograms of waste were collected throughout the Balearic Islands. Mallorca had the highest amount of waste collected, accumulating 1,678 kilograms. Menorca followed with just over 1,072 kilograms, while Ibiza and Formentera collected 478 and 218 kilograms respectively. The predominant type of waste collected was wood, representing 66.85% of the total, followed by plastic at 26.94%, and other types of waste like tires and beach materials making up 5.86%.

In June, the amount of waste collected increased significantly, exceeding 5,558 kilograms across the archipelago. Menorca led with 2,311 kilograms, followed closely by Mallorca with over 2,000 kilograms. Ibiza collected more than 1,036 kilograms, and Formentera just over 209 kilograms. In this month, wood remained the most collected material, representing 54.43% of the total, while plastic accounted for 38.77%, and other waste 3.18%.

Beach vessels, designed to operate in shallow waters and collect small floating debris, were responsible for collecting over 2,030 kilograms of waste during June. Of this, Mallorca contributed 531 kilograms, Ibiza 699 kilograms, and Menorca nearly 800 kilograms. Formentera, however, did not have any waste collected by beach vessels during this month.

Coastal vessels, which operate both in shallow waters and areas up to 5 miles offshore, collected over 3,500 kilograms of waste in June. Mallorca was responsible for 1,469 kilograms, Menorca 1,512 kilograms, Ibiza 337 kilograms, and Formentera almost 210 kilograms.

In addition to regular collection efforts, special collections were conducted to address exceptional situations. In Mallorca, remnants of a vessel, a log, and scattered sea foams were removed in May, while scattered foams and various sticks were collected in June. In Menorca, two large logs were removed in May and several logs in June. In Ibiza, pieces of a boat were collected in May, and a drifting boat and scattered oils in June. In Formentera, sticks and scattered hydrocarbons were removed in May, and remnants of a boat and a log in June.

During these two months, the Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle responded to a total of eight alerts, five of which were managed in collaboration with the emergency service 112 and Maritime Rescue, while three were reported by institutions and individuals.