The brigades of the environmental improvement project promoted by the Govern have removed more than 22 tonnes of waste from the Balearic coastline during the 2025-2026 season. Among the waste collected were more than 27,000 cigarette butts and around 1,700 kilograms of invasive plants, removed from beaches, coves and coastal natural areas across the Balearic Islands. The Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural will resume the work next October.
Operatives from the environmental brigades remove a thick abandoned mooring rope from the coastline. Photo: CAIB.
The initiative forms part of the project Improving the quality of areas of environmental relevance in the Balearic Islands with people at risk of social exclusion, developed by the Servei de Qualitat i Educació Ambiental of the Directorate General for Medi Natural i Gestió Forestal. The programme has funding of two million euros from the sustainable tourism tax (ITS) and is scheduled to run until 2028.
Mallorca accounts for 16 of the 22 tonnes of waste from the Balearic coastline
The work carried out over the last eight months has removed a significant amount of waste from the Balearic coastline in some of the archipelago’s most valuable natural areas. Of the total collected, 16,000 kilograms correspond to Mallorca and 6,000 kilograms to Ibiza and Formentera.
In addition to removing waste, the brigades have eliminated invasive plant species that affect coastal ecosystems and have collected thousands of cigarette butts, one of the most common and harmful forms of waste in the natural environment. The work has also included environmental improvement measures around the Parc Natural de s’Albufera des Grau, in Menorca.
The tasks are carried out during the low season, when the lower number of visitors makes it possible to work more effectively and minimise disruption caused by cleaning and maintenance work. A large part of the operations take place in areas included in the Natura 2000 network and in protected natural areas.
An environmental project with social impact
The Director General for Medi Natural i Gestió Forestal, Anna Torres, said that “this project is an example of how resources from the sustainable tourism tax are transformed into specific actions to conserve the natural heritage of the Balearic Islands“. Torres stressed that “the removal of waste, the control of invasive species and the recovery of sensitive areas contribute directly to improving the conservation status of coastal ecosystems and preserving their natural values“.
The Director General also highlighted the social dimension of the initiative, stating that “this programme combines environmental protection with the creation of job opportunities for people at risk of social exclusion, multiplying the social and environmental return on public investment”.
The work has been carried out by teams linked to social organisations such as Aproscom Fundació, Amadip Esment, Estel de Llevant, Apfem Aktua, Fundació per a la Discapacitat Illa de Menorca and Cruz Roja Española.
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