In Torrevieja and a large part of Costa Blanca we are lucky enough to enjoy some of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches of the entire Spanish coast. It is no coincidence that Torrevieja is a popular vacation spot; more than 90% of Spaniards value the cleanliness of the beach and the quality of the water and sand when they’re deciding where to enjoy their well-deserved rest.
However, many people will seize the day at the beach and forget to leave it as they found it. If you like Torrevieja and want to continue enjoying it summer after summer, do not miss this post: Here’s a few tips to help keep the beach clean.
Before going to the beach…
Avoid littering, pick up the trash and recycle.
Respect the environment.
Be careful with your beach activities.
Raise awareness.
Before going to the beach…
Before going to the beach, prepare yourself thoroughly. Consider how are you going to get to the beach: Are you going to go by car? Or can you use public transport, rent a bicycle, or even walk? Cars are very polluting, and that pollution affects the condition of the beaches. If you can use an ecological alternative, use it.
Remember as well to carry a bag to put your trash in, just in case there are no bins or containers nearby. Then, all you have to do when you leave will be to take your bag, and you will not leave any residues.
Try to bring your food and drink in reusable containers, to make sure you do not leave anything. Sandwich boxes and metal bottles are your best friends.
Avoid littering, pick up the trash and recycle.
My mother always says that “the cleanest person is not the one who tidies up the most, but the one who makes the smaller mess”, and she’s absolutely right. The best way to keep the beaches clean is by not making them dirty, for example, leaving your cigarettes at home so as not to fill the sand with cigarette butts. Did you know that cigarette butts are one of the biggest pollutants that affect our beaches?
If leaving your cigars at home is going to ruin your vacation, then take a portable ashtray and throw the butts in the trash when you’re finished.
If you go to a beach specially prepared for dogs, make sure you pick up the feces of your canine friend (although you should always do this, not only on the beach).
Collect not only your trash, but the one you see lying around. If when you arrive at the beach you find cans, do not put them aside to enjoy your spot, put them in your garbage bag and help the environment.
Lastly, try to put all the rubbish you produce in the right containers: On holidays, do not forget to recycle.
Respect the environment.
The beach is an ecosystem like any other, and that means you have to try to interfere as little as possible. Avoid taking plants, of course animals, and even conch shells, since the latter can serve as a home for some crustaceans.
Take care of the dunes. They’re the habitat of many species and help regenerate the sand on the beach. Without dunes, the beach would eventually disappear. Do not use them to protect yourself from the wind and try not to walk or play on them.
In the case of Torrevieja in particular, it should be noted that in recent years sea turtles have been laying eggs even in urban beaches. If you are lucky enough to see one, do not touch it or bother it in any way, and keep a safe distance. The best way to help these turtles is by calling 112 and making sure there is a professional that can handle the situation.
Be careful with your beach activities.
Summer is one of the best moments to fill our social networks with paradisiacal photos, but be careful with where you are going to take those pictures. If a place is too beautiful to be so empty, it’s probably because it is a protected area, pay attention to your surroundings!
If you are going to practice a sport, make sure you follow all the established rules, and have the help of a technician to help you follow the necessary guidelines if you do not know the sport or the area very well.
Even when you just want to walk along the beach, respect the established accesses; this way you will not bother the fauna and flora of the area, which stay away from the accesses for people.
Oh! And if you are a recreational fisherman, respect the areas designated for fishing, and remember to take the hooks you have used home, do not leave them on the beach.
Raise awareness
If you go to the beach with your friends, make sure that everyone puts their two cents to leave the beach cleaner than you have found it. If you go with your family, and you have children, be sure to educate them from a very young age to keep the beaches clean.
And if you want to go a step further and join a movement or activity of environmental awareness, Torrevieja has many activities. Yesterday they started a series of environmental education workshops on the beaches; don’t miss the opportunity and join!
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