Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Beaches can’t be used as a dumping ground. We need to respect and protect the marine ecosystem from waste in the sand and on the seabed. During the course of 2022, nearly 4,000 people took part in 95 awareness activities to clear up plastic, cigarette butts and other waste at Barcelona’s beaches, breakwaters and seabed.

Each user at the city’s beaches generates 0.16 kg of waste on average, a volume similar to the figure from 2021. The waste collected from litter bins at the beaches has diminished slightly compared to last year, dropping from 906 to 791 kg.

The city beaches where the most waste was found in the water were the Nova Icària (nearly 5,000 kg), the Somorrostro (over 4,000 kg) and the Barceloneta (nearly 4,000 kg). The most common types of waste collected in the sea were natural wood (41%), plastic (29%) and other waste (21%) such as personal hygiene products, wipes, cloths and string.

Despite the smoke-free beaches initiative banning smoking at the ten beaches along the Barcelona coast, the presence of cigarette butts in the sand continues. Barcelona City Council is stepping up its information campaigns and actions to prevent this type of waste in the sand and in the sea.