Around fifty volunteers gathered this morning on the banks of the Guadaíra River to carry out a cleanup day of this tributary of the Guadalquivir. The purpose was to celebrate World Water Day and raise awareness about the serious problem that marine litter poses to our rivers and oceans.
The activity was organized by the Ecomar Foundation and the Seville Aquarium, in collaboration with VOLVO, and several groups of students from St Mary’s School and the Bellavista Secondary Education Institute participated in it.
The cleanup began with an educational activity in which the technical team from the Seville Aquarium explained the importance of recycling, as well as the small actions that each of them can take at home to care for the environment, especially the marine environment.
Afterwards, several groups were formed that cleaned the riverbanks for approximately an hour, collecting waste such as cans, tetrapacks, plastic and glass bottles, glass, wet wipes, lighters, electronic waste, and construction debris, totaling more than 100 kilos of garbage (including more than 26 kilos of glass), which were removed and properly classified for subsequent recycling.
The Aquarium’s Education Director, Susana Montero, explained to the volunteers that today’s action was not carried out due to a lack of river cleaning, but as an awareness-raising activity to convey to the volunteers the importance of depositing waste in trash bins and containers so that it does not end up being dragged by the river. “For us, the key is awareness. It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep the river clean. Every time we throw something into the river, that waste reaches the sea and affects all the animals that live in it” Susana Montero stated.