Palma.The President of the Hoteliers' Federation Inmaculada Benito said yesterday that it is high time the specially designed and equipped cleaning vessels started work on removing plastic waste and other flotsam and jetsam in coastal waters.
She said that beach cleanliness was essential to the image of Majorca as a top tourist destination and that if floating waste is allowed to reach the shore, there is a danger that this year's tourist community will not want to repeat the visit.
Benito said that the loss of the cleaning boats, with mechanised sweeping arms to scoop waste floating either on or near the surface out of the water, would be a tragedy for the island. She said that thousands of tonnes of plastic have been removed from the sea every year since the operation began a decade ago.
Prompted by an increasing number of hotel customer complaints about plastic bags and bottles being carried into shore by the tide, Benito wrote to Balearic Territory and Environment Minister Gabriel Company urging him not to do away with the service as had been planned by the government. Benito said she was aware the government was having to prioritise services but that it would be a false economy if tourists were dissuaded from coming to the Islands because of floating rubbish.
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.