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Date Published: 09/05/2022

Javea bans smoking on all beaches

The move is one of a series of measures approved to protect the Marina Alta town's coastline

It's estimated that cigarette butts account for more than 30% of discarded waste along coastlines and most data suggests they take between 18 months and 10 years to decompose, depending on weather conditions.

Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that takes a long time to break down, and to eliminate the problem in Javea, the Town Hall has approved a number of measures to protect the entire coastline, including a ban on smoking on all beaches in the municipality.

The proposal, launched by the Councillor for Tourism and Environment, Toni Miragall, comes shortly after the Congress of Deputies approved the Law on Solid Waste, a regulation that gives legal protection to municipalities to promote the ban on smoking on beaches, which will soon be marked as smoke-free areas.

Also read: Regenerating beaches in Spain with Saharan sand could result in huge ecological damage

"Another of the measures relates to sanitary towels, a product that due to its confusing labelling and the lack of citizen awareness, are discarded through toilets, clogging pipes and sewage networks. In Javea we suffer doubly because in cases where they end up in the sea, in addition to the consequent damage to the marine ecosystem, the currents return them to the coast," explained the town hall.

To tackle this issue, the local authority plans to launch an awareness campaign and promote legislative amendments at a national level to require manufacturers of sanitary products and wipes to warn on their labelling – clearly and prominently – that they are not sustainable or biodegradable and cannot be flushed down the toilet.

Representatives from the 'Compromís' political party have gone so far as to put forward a motion to request a complete ban on their sale and a commitment that the town council and the Hydrographic Confederation intensify monitoring of the sewerage network that crosses the Gorgos River to prevent possible spills of wastewater or wipes.

Ahead of the summer season and an influx of tourists, the local authority has also given the green light to a tax ordinance to regulate parking. Motorists parking at beaches will be charged nine euros per day, "a system that will be complemented with public transport lines", assured the town hall.

Image: Ayuntamiento de Javea

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