Debate over banning short-distance flights takes off, but the cons outweigh the pros
Royalty against plastic pollution: Queen Sofía helps clear up Málaga beach
19/09/2020
'QUEEN Mum' HRH Sofía has been helping clear bags of rubbish off a beach in Málaga, filling sacks with plastic and other waste as part of a project led by SEO/BirdLife and one of Spain's main recycling firms, Ecoembes.
The mother of reigning monarch King Felipe VI – who named the younger of his two daughters after her – is not often seen in public these days, having dropped away from the world's camera lenses when her husband, King Juan Carlos I, abdicated in June 2014.
HRHs Sofía and Juan Carlos had not been living together for many years, leading separate lives and mostly only communicating through their secretaries, although Queen Sofía has always been the first to visit the Rex Emeritus in hospital whenever he has had operations including a heart bypass and hip replacement.
But Queen Sofía has continued to be busy behind the scenes, working hard for the charities of which she is patron – and, this week, volunteering in the decluttering operation on the Costa del Sol's Cala del Moral.
The Libera project, to mark International Beach-Cleaning Day, was launched with the slogan '1m2 for the beaches and the seas', in a bid to convince each member of the public to clear rubbish from one square metre of shore.
Spain's 'Queen Mother' cleared up considerably more than a square metre, getting down on her hands and knees – despite her 81 years of age – working alongside Spanish representatives in the European Commission.
Her eponymous multi-faceted charity, the Fundación Reina Sofía ('Queen Sofía Foundation') has been supporting the Libera project since 2018 – although any organisation, club, society or entity can register via its portal, Proyectolibera.org.
They can then set up rubbish-collection and drop-off points next to their nearest beaches – always following current Covid-19 protection procedures, as seen in the pictures, where Queen Sofía and her fellow helpers are wearing masks and gloves.
The volunteers had separate bags, yellow and blue, so they could split landfill waste from recyclable rubbish, such as plastic, glass, paper, cardboard and aluminium.
Queen Sofía also found out more about the work of Spain's Sea Guards' Network (Red de Vigilantes Marinos), divers who take part in volunteer clean-ups on the sea floor, led by Libera.
Through the mobile App Marnoba, developed by the Zero Dumping Association (Asociación Vertidos Cero) and KAI Marine Services, the monarch's mother was able to see the type of rubbish 'rescued' from the sea bed all along Spain's coasts, and read information about its collection.
She saw that nearly 300,000 different types of waste had been catalogued already.
This year, extra categories have been added – disposable masks and gloves.
Head of Spain's representation on the European Commission, Francisco Fonseca – who was also present in the Cala del Moral – has urged the public to 'act responsibly' concerning waste generated by the pandemic, pointing out that huge numbers of masks and gloves end up scattered on streets, in rivers and on beaches, a two-fold problem: First, the pollution issue, and second, the fact that these could be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, posing a health risk.
Unfortunately, these cannot be recycled due to their possible contamination, so they have to be dumped in the main rubbish bins, destined for landfill.
This said, plastic and vinyl gloves survive a wash cycle at 60ºC and going through the tumble-dryer – both of which involve sufficient heat, and detergent, to kill off virii – meaning they can then be used again at home for cleaning and DIY or stuffing cushions.
Keeping the sea clear of plastic pollution and other waste is essential in the fight against climate change and protecting marine flora and fauna, says Fonseca, who thanked 'Her Majesty' for her 'indefatigable support' and that of her Foundation.
Through this support, the Commission is 'making enormous progress in the battle against dumping' and in keeping seas and oceans clear of what has been dubbed in Spain as basuraleza – a combination between basura ('rubbish') and naturaleza ('nature'), or something like 'rubbature' or 'wastature'.
Sea Guards' Network divers' coordinator Antonio Márquez said: “We divers are the public's eyes beneath the waves and, often, the direct human witnesses to how rubbish negatively affects wildlife and marine ecosystems; for this reason, we are especially pleased that celebrities like Her Majesty Queen Sofía have helped lend visibility to this situation and to our work.”
Plastic pollution becomes cushion covers
Another key project helping to relieve the seas of plastic waste is run by Swedish flat-pack chain Ikea, which is paying around 1,500 fishermen to 'fish' rubbish from the water during their usual day's work.
All plastic collected up is melted down, and Comunidad Valenciana-based interior designer Inma Bermúdez uses it to create her unique, colourful and attractive Musselbomma range, which includes cushion covers, handbags and tablecloths and is now available online as well as in-store.
For every kilo of plastic the fishermen are able to 'sell' to Ikea, they also end up netting nine kilos of other rubbish, such as glass, metal and rubber, all of which is placed in recycling if it possibly can be.
The Ikea project is proving so successful that the company believes plastic waste fished from the sea could even turn into a circular economy.
Photographs by the Libera project, SEO/Birdlife, and Ecoembes
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
'QUEEN Mum' HRH Sofía has been helping clear bags of rubbish off a beach in Málaga, filling sacks with plastic and other waste as part of a project led by SEO/BirdLife and one of Spain's main recycling firms, Ecoembes.
The mother of reigning monarch King Felipe VI – who named the younger of his two daughters after her – is not often seen in public these days, having dropped away from the world's camera lenses when her husband, King Juan Carlos I, abdicated in June 2014.
HRHs Sofía and Juan Carlos had not been living together for many years, leading separate lives and mostly only communicating through their secretaries, although Queen Sofía has always been the first to visit the Rex Emeritus in hospital whenever he has had operations including a heart bypass and hip replacement.
But Queen Sofía has continued to be busy behind the scenes, working hard for the charities of which she is patron – and, this week, volunteering in the decluttering operation on the Costa del Sol's Cala del Moral.
The Libera project, to mark International Beach-Cleaning Day, was launched with the slogan '1m2 for the beaches and the seas', in a bid to convince each member of the public to clear rubbish from one square metre of shore.
Spain's 'Queen Mother' cleared up considerably more than a square metre, getting down on her hands and knees – despite her 81 years of age – working alongside Spanish representatives in the European Commission.
Her eponymous multi-faceted charity, the Fundación Reina Sofía ('Queen Sofía Foundation') has been supporting the Libera project since 2018 – although any organisation, club, society or entity can register via its portal, Proyectolibera.org.
They can then set up rubbish-collection and drop-off points next to their nearest beaches – always following current Covid-19 protection procedures, as seen in the pictures, where Queen Sofía and her fellow helpers are wearing masks and gloves.
The volunteers had separate bags, yellow and blue, so they could split landfill waste from recyclable rubbish, such as plastic, glass, paper, cardboard and aluminium.
Queen Sofía also found out more about the work of Spain's Sea Guards' Network (Red de Vigilantes Marinos), divers who take part in volunteer clean-ups on the sea floor, led by Libera.
Through the mobile App Marnoba, developed by the Zero Dumping Association (Asociación Vertidos Cero) and KAI Marine Services, the monarch's mother was able to see the type of rubbish 'rescued' from the sea bed all along Spain's coasts, and read information about its collection.
She saw that nearly 300,000 different types of waste had been catalogued already.
This year, extra categories have been added – disposable masks and gloves.
Head of Spain's representation on the European Commission, Francisco Fonseca – who was also present in the Cala del Moral – has urged the public to 'act responsibly' concerning waste generated by the pandemic, pointing out that huge numbers of masks and gloves end up scattered on streets, in rivers and on beaches, a two-fold problem: First, the pollution issue, and second, the fact that these could be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, posing a health risk.
Unfortunately, these cannot be recycled due to their possible contamination, so they have to be dumped in the main rubbish bins, destined for landfill.
This said, plastic and vinyl gloves survive a wash cycle at 60ºC and going through the tumble-dryer – both of which involve sufficient heat, and detergent, to kill off virii – meaning they can then be used again at home for cleaning and DIY or stuffing cushions.
Keeping the sea clear of plastic pollution and other waste is essential in the fight against climate change and protecting marine flora and fauna, says Fonseca, who thanked 'Her Majesty' for her 'indefatigable support' and that of her Foundation.
Through this support, the Commission is 'making enormous progress in the battle against dumping' and in keeping seas and oceans clear of what has been dubbed in Spain as basuraleza – a combination between basura ('rubbish') and naturaleza ('nature'), or something like 'rubbature' or 'wastature'.
Sea Guards' Network divers' coordinator Antonio Márquez said: “We divers are the public's eyes beneath the waves and, often, the direct human witnesses to how rubbish negatively affects wildlife and marine ecosystems; for this reason, we are especially pleased that celebrities like Her Majesty Queen Sofía have helped lend visibility to this situation and to our work.”
Plastic pollution becomes cushion covers
Another key project helping to relieve the seas of plastic waste is run by Swedish flat-pack chain Ikea, which is paying around 1,500 fishermen to 'fish' rubbish from the water during their usual day's work.
All plastic collected up is melted down, and Comunidad Valenciana-based interior designer Inma Bermúdez uses it to create her unique, colourful and attractive Musselbomma range, which includes cushion covers, handbags and tablecloths and is now available online as well as in-store.
For every kilo of plastic the fishermen are able to 'sell' to Ikea, they also end up netting nine kilos of other rubbish, such as glass, metal and rubber, all of which is placed in recycling if it possibly can be.
The Ikea project is proving so successful that the company believes plastic waste fished from the sea could even turn into a circular economy.
Photographs by the Libera project, SEO/Birdlife, and Ecoembes
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
More News & Information
BATTERIES from mobile phones, laptops and even cars are among those that must be recyclable within the next four years in accordance with a new European Union regulation, as explained by Spain's minister for...
ELECTRICITY could become cheaper to use at more convenient hours in a hypothetical about-turn for household bills – and that's thanks to solar power.
YET again and for the 36th year running, Spain holds the record for the highest number of blue-flagged beaches in the world, with its east-coast region of the Comunidad Valenciana having more than any other.