Since 15 June and continuing until 15 September, Sitges has an ‘ecological boat’ that travels the length of the coastline, 37.4 km, back and forth from Les Botigues beach to Cala del Gegant and Cala Xica, cleaning plastic and other floating waste from the sea.
The service is carried out 6 days a week, during 6 hours each day, approximately between 8am and 2pm, with the main objective of collecting and removing floating or semi-submerged debris from the sea.
The work, at a cost of €33,878 a year, is done with a boat that has mechanical arms to remove plastics and other waste of greater volume. The local councillor for beaches, Guillem Escolà, said that ‘this is a very necessary service, as was verified in 2021, when half a tonne of dirt was collected, mainly plastics’ and added that ‘this cleaning prevents solids from sinking into the sea, from where it is much more difficult to collect them’. He said: ‘This service preserves the natural environment and helps us to have an optimal quality of our waters.’
The service also includes waste management and the collection of statistical and photographic data on all that is taken out of the water. In addition, the boat also has the function of preventing pollution in the water and can help in maritime rescues and towing operations.
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