International Beach Clean-Up Day

The third Saturday of September is commemorated in more than 180 countries, the International Beach Cleaning Day. A unique event that unites millions of people with a single goal, in such a large number of countries. This September 17, our country is also included in this celebration, of which it has been a part since 2010 and according to the Ocean Conservancy organization, it ranks ninth as the country with the highest number of volunteers participating in beach cleanups in an international level.

On this day, the main objective is to sensitize people so that they voluntarily join the activities of improvement and maintenance of the environment to favor its conservation, through the collection and classification of solid waste on beaches and coastal areas.

The event sets specific objectives such as collecting waste from the beaches, reaching the largest number of volunteers, promoting awareness in the population about the urgent need not to contaminate these spaces and encouraging a change in the behavior of those who cause contamination.

Pollution of oceans and beaches is also generated by oil spills, sewage outfalls, boat discharges and the alarming amount of solid waste such as plastic and glass bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts generated by people who visit the beaches.. All this is aggravated and increasingly harms the marine ecosystem.

Most of this waste is plastic or non-biodegradable material that contains chemicals, which eventually end up breaking down into small pieces that damage the seabed, with very harmful results for birds and fish.

Anyone can join the celebration of World Beach Day and participate as a volunteer in the cleaning days of the beaches of their locality.

The beaches of Manabí, one of the most striking tourist attractions in our country, have an extension of 350 kilometers and last year approximately 60 km of beach were cleaned, collecting 7,300 kilos of waste from the north of the province.

If you like the sea and want to find the most beautiful beaches you can imagine, visit Ecuador, your memory will be marked with a unique experience of rest and beauty.