DISCARDED cigarette butts are contaminating the Costa del Sol’s beaches, according to an expat conservation group.
Volunteer members of the Asociacion Amigos del Mar Costa Tropical – a non-profit group founded in 2014 – combed a symbolic two-metre square area of La Herradura beach in Almunecar for discarded stubs, uncovering 280 butts.
Do the maths on the 86,500 square metres of beach and it adds up to an astounding 8,857,700 fag ends buried in the sand.
“A single butt in a litre of water is more than enough to kill a small fish within four days, as the filter releases harmful components on contact with water,” said an Environment Ministry spokesperson.
The group aims to promote local marine awareness in the Costa Tropical, with workshops, clean-ups and the Annual Sea Festival, to be held on September 19 and 20.
For more information call 654 433 598, or visit www.facebook.com/AsociacionAmigosdelMar
