Alonso Miguel takes part in coastal cleanup action on São Miguel Island to remove more than three tonnes of marine litter - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, participated this Thursday in a coastal cleanup action that took place in the Prainhas area, parish of Ribeirinha, municipality of Ribeira Grande.

According to Alonso Miguel, this initiative "falls within a series of clean-up actions promoted by the Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change, the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries and the Blue Azores Programme, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup Day 2022."

The government official added that "76 coastal cleanup actions are planned to take place on all islands by September 25. They will be open to the population with the participation of municipal councils, parish councils, schools, NGOs, maritime-tourism companies, and humanitarian firefighting associations, among other entities, involving more than a thousand volunteers.

"The operation in Prainhas, an area of very difficult access, lasted about four hours. It required complex logistics, including two boats and a jet boat, which made it possible to remove, transport and dispose of more than three tonnes of litter to its appropriate final destination. The litter was collected in a 400-metre stretch of coastline, following an initiative previously developed by the Parish Council of Ribeirinha," informed the government official. 

Alonso Miguel stressed that "the operation relied on the collaboration of the Parish Council of Ribeirinha, the Municipality of Ribeira Grande and the company Futurismo. It also relied on the outstanding cooperation of Ribeira Grande Voluntary Fire Brigade, being fundamental to this joint initiative."

The Regional Secretary took the opportunity to note that "these actions, carried out in the context of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, are complemented by many others held throughout the year. They are carried out with the collaboration of parish councils and populations, as part of the "Eco-Village, Clean Village" programme, an initiative coordinated by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change."

He also added: "The involvement of the population in general in this type of initiative is fundamental and, in fact, there has been a huge response. This shows an increasing awareness and attention to the problem of marine litter pollution and its devastating impacts on ecosystems, also revealing a very positive development in terms of the environmental awareness of the Azorean civil society, which makes us very happy."