Beach Clean-Up Initiative Returns for August

For over a decade, Chiringuito el Tibu-Ron, a beach bar on one of the most visited beaches in the Barcelona area, has run a campaign offering a free beer or soft drink in exchange for a glass full of cigarette butts collected from the sand. The initiative returns this August as a seasonal tradition, encouraging visitors to help clean the shoreline. Participants must gather a cup or jar of discarded cigarette filters and hand them in at the bar to claim their drink.

Cigarette Butts Pollute Western Mediterranean Beaches

According to Rezero, the Foundation for Waste Prevention and Responsible Consumption, up to 3,200 tonnes of cigarette butts are found annually on beaches across Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. The filters, made from cellulose acetate fibres, do not biodegrade and are considered the most common form of litter in the western Mediterranean. Despite widespread smoking on beaches, many discard butts directly into the sand instead of using portable ashtrays.

This campaign aims to raise awareness of the incredible polluting potential of cigarette filters.

Smoke-Free Beach Campaign Excludes Castelldefels and Badalona

While 24 out of 26 coastal municipalities in the Barcelona province have adopted or are implementing bylaws to ban smoking on beaches, Castelldefels and Badalona remain exceptions. The 'Smoke-Free Beaches' campaign, promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council, has not been adopted by either city. Local sources in Castelldefels say the council prefers to recommend against beach smoking rather than enforce a ban through restrictive ordinance. In contrast, Barcelona banned smoking on all its beaches in 2022 following a successful 2021 trial, with fines of €30 for violations. On the Balearic Islands, 28 beaches including Talamanca in Ibiza and Sant Joan in Mallorca have also introduced smoke-free zones. The regional delegate president for Public Health, Josep-Ramon Mut, described the adoption rate among municipalities as "a huge success" and expects a future Catalan law to standardise the ban. Residents and visitors can support local clean-up efforts by participating in the Tibu-Ron bar’s incentive programme throughout August.

Reported by elperiodico.com, euronews.com, El Periódico, catalannews.com, El Periódico Barcelona.

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