Calpe Town Council has joined the Smoke-free Beaches Network of the Regional Ministry of Health, with the aim of creating smoke-free spaces on the beaches of Arenal-Bol, La Fossa and Cantal Roig, and thus promote a healthier and cleaner environment.
The initiative will consist of setting up certain areas on these beaches for the exclusive use of non-smokers who, due to health problems or for any other reason, prefer to go to these areas. In these areas, people will be advised of the importance of following healthy habits and respecting others. They will be areas of easy accessibility and separated at a certain distance from the rest of the beach. In this way Calp begins a process to achieve a smoke-free beach.
To promote this new measure, reusable ashtrays will be distributed at the tourist information points located on the beaches of Arenal-Bol and La Fossa, as well as at the tourist office in the salt flats. In this way, the aim is also to encourage responsible use and the correct disposal of waste.
In this regard, 15% of the waste collected on the beaches are cigarette butts, which not only pollute the environment but also pose a risk to marine fauna. ‘The beaches are not ashtrays, and the sea is not a rubbish dump. This municipality is committed to being free of litter,’ said Pere Moll, councillor for the environment and beaches.
For her part, the councillor for Health Prevention, Itziar Doval, stressed the importance of a smoke-free environment not only for the preservation of the environment, but also for the health of beach users. She pointed out that there are numerous illnesses that derive not only from active smoking, but also from passive smoking, as smoke inhalation generates illnesses. ‘The ban on smoking on these beaches underlines the municipality's commitment to reducing pollution and promoting health and we hope that this measure will be supported and replicated in other coastal municipalities,’ he added.