Caring for Beaches 7 Tips
Beaches and coves, even if they are urban or semi-urban, are a natural space that we must take care of. They are the gateways that allow us to access our beloved sea and a place for recreation and enjoyment in nature. Some beaches and most of the coves are not supervised or cared for by the municipalities, except for the removal of waste from the litter bins. So it is in our hands to care for and protect these environments, EVERYONE who goes to beaches and coves, ARE partly responsible for their condition, cleanliness and conservation.
1. Take all the rubbish you generate with you
Leave the site as you found it and even if there are litter bins, try to take your rubbish bag with you to a safer container. Municipalities are slow to collect waste from these bins and when there is a lot of wind they can blow away and probably end up in the sea.
2. Use sun creams that are not harmful to marine organisms
Productos químicos que se suelen usar en muchas cremas de sol, son nocivos tanto para nuestro organismo como para la vida marina: peces, plantas y arrecifes. En zonas de mar muy turísticas como La Riviera Maya o Hawai se han prohibido las cremas solares que dañen el ecosistema marino. Todo el mundo debería tomar nota.
Chemical products that are often used in many sun creams are harmful both to our bodies and to marine life: fish, plants and reefs. In very touristic sea areas such as the Mayan Riviera or Hawaii, sun creams that damage the marine ecosystem have been banned. Everyone should take note.
3. Avoid using plastic and glass bottles
The former, because they are one of the main pollutants in the ocean and we need to replace them as soon as possible. The latter because they can break and someone can step on the glass. They take 1000 and 4000 years respectively to degrade.
Recomiendo esta botella térmica, que he probado personalmente, está hecha con materiales reciclados y mantiene la temperatura fría/caliente de los líquidos y además la hace una empresa valenciana.
I recommend this thermal bottle, which I have personally tested, it is made from recycled materials and keeps the temperature of liquids hot/cold and it is also made by a Valencian company.
4. Collect as much plastic and waste as you can
We try whenever we can to pick up plastics and other objects we find on the beaches and in the sea. When we dive we carry a small slit bag (from a pair of swimming goggles) in which we can put tightly packed bags, because if we carry them in larger slits, they open up and make swimming very difficult, especially when you carry a lot of them.
When we go paddle surfing, we carry a large slot for bags, bottles, corks and other things we find floating. Many municipalities or marine sports clubs organise beach clean-ups once a year, so join in and help with the clean-up.
We often find lead weights used by fishermen and we know how toxic this material is. Less frequently we also see hooks in the shape of fish, shrimp or crab. One of them we found hooked on an octopus leg near its beak and luckily we were able to remove it
5. If you are a smoker, carry a portable ashtray or soda can with you
Throw cigarette butts in the ashtray, can or any other container, but do not throw them away or bury them under the sand. Cigarette butt filters are one of the biggest sources of litter on beaches. One report claims that worldwide, 5 billion cigarette butts are dumped on beaches every year and the filters take 10 years to degrade.
6. Avoid using disposable plastic bags, cutlery, cups or plates
Although there are biodegradable alternatives on the market, we believe that we should not continue with the throwaway culture. We recommend those made of metallic materials that will have a much longer life span. Plastic bags take 100 years to degrade and are easily blown away. Cups take 75 years to degrade and cutlery or plates take 150 years.
7. Access the beaches and coves by the paths or accesses provided
Follow the paths, because if we leave them we will step on the vegetation, which will surely cause its death, and in the case of the dunes, they are very fragile ecosystems and most of the species that inhabit them are endemic and protected.
This is how we want to see beaches and coves!
We have enjoyed the beaches and coves a lot and when we decided to make this guide we were faced with a dilemma: Promote these spaces that we have enjoyed so much with the possibility that they could become overcrowded and degraded? Our commitment has been to promote these spaces and the practice of sea sports, which have brought us so much enjoyment and benefits. At the same time, we want to raise awareness about these environments and promote their care. So we hope you take care of these places as we do, they are a natural resource of enormous value.
We know that until the food distribution industry changes its paradigm, or rather society makes it change, this will be a problem for the world and we are already seeing the repercussions. In the meantime, let's try to do our bit as best we can.
If you think something important is missing from this article, let us know and we will include it. Let's take care of these environments so that we can continue to enjoy them. See you at the SEA!
