The Balaeric Islands, an achipelago off the east coast of Spain and extremely popular with sun-seeking tourists, is looking to become a more environmentally friendly destination for both its visitors and residents. As part of the region’s aim to reduce waste by 20% by 2030, they are introducing a new law, as well as a new campaign, which aim to reduce plastic pollution from tourism and hospitality.
1. Pollution
The Mediterranean is considered the world’s most polluted sea, and between 5 to 10% of global plastic mass is found there. It is almost surrounded by 23 countries, which have their rivers and streams draining into its waters and worsening its pollution levels. Additionally, the success of tourism in the Balearics has led to the industry becoming the main source of waste there, as well as one of the biggest sources of plastic pollution overall in the Mediterranean.
Balearics move to ban all plastic in bid to clean up coast https://t.co/Q94FdDRxZH pic.twitter.com/nRZ8kDlSj7
— The Local Spain (@TheLocalSpain) January 24, 2018
2. Previous initiatives
In the past, there have been initiatives on the islands to reduce plastic which have so far been successful. One initiative, Plastic Free Ibiza and Formentera, is a movement promoted by IbizaPreservation, which launched its own certification process in 2019. Companies in the tourism and hospitality sector are awarded stars for taking action to reduce single-use plastics.
Another one, Balears Sense Plàstic, was introduced by Save the Med in Mallorca. It has designed a tool which measures plastic usage, offering comparisons and improvements to help members become more environmentally friendly. Combined, these two initiatives have involved more than 150 companies in the region, and now the two will come together to form Plastic Free Balearics.
3. Plastic Free Balearics
This new campaign, Plastic Free Balearics, has been created by IbizaPresentation and Save the Med, and is also aimed at the tourism sector. It plans to help tourism establishments find alternatives to single-use plastics. The project is co-financed by the Beyond Plastic Med association, and following a pilot of the programme in Spring, it will then be put in place by the end of the year.
4. Balearic Waste Law
The programme also coincides with the new Balearic Waste Law coming into place on 20th March 2021 which will see single-use plastics banned from the region. These include plates, cutlery, cups and food trays, and it will be mandatory to label disposable wipes to warn people not to flush them down the toilet. This law will force companies in the Balearics to change and modify their practices in order to comply with the new rules. Initiatives targeted at reducing food waste are also being developed under the law and anybody breaking it can be fined.
