Urgent plea from Mayor as Costa Blanca beaches cleared of 1,000 tonnes of flood rubbish

Up to 1,000 tonnes of rubbish was collected from Costa Blanca beaches following the devastating floods that killed seven and displaced thousands.

José Luis Sáez, Mayor of Guardamar, has asked citizens for greater awareness so that they do not throw their garbage into rivers or waterways.

Guardamar Councillor of Environment, Silvestre García announced the figures over the weekend, whilst praising the 100+ municipal workers that cleared 11km of coastline from La Mata (north of Torrevieja) to Las Tussales (Elche province) where 23 tonnes of plastic alone was collected.

The floating waste included reeds, dead animals, household rubbish and plastic containers.

García concedes that rubbish is still ending up on the beaches and in the sea, but his team are being selective in the clearing, separating vegetable matter from plastics.

The mayor admitted that a greater public awareness is needed to prevent rubbish from being dumped in the Segura.

“Guardamar is one of the most affected places but all citizens and tourists who use our beaches see that what is thrown into the river and irrigation systems finally reaches our coast affecting bathers, fishing, tourism and the environment”.