The cleaning operation took place on the beach “Los Gringos” and was attended by different authorities, delegations of students from educational establishments and members of socio-environmental organizations of the commune.
The activity aimed to sensitize the community about the problem of the presence of waste on the coastal edge, in order to educate the population in relation to environmental care.
Because plastics remain intact for decades or centuries after use, but when they deteriorate they end up becoming microplastics, and fish and other marine animals end up consuming them; thus moving into the global food chain, affecting people’s food security and health.
On the occasion, the representative of the Ministry of the Environment in the region gave thanks to the volunteers who removed pieces of fishing net, plastics, bottles, cigarette butts, cans, glass remains, wrappers, tires, among other waste that contaminates the coast.
“We are very proud to participate in this activity that demonstrates the importance of working together and raising awareness regarding the care of our beaches and oceans. We know that one of the crises we are experiencing as humanity is that of pollution,” said Daniela de La Jara, seremi of the Environment of the Maule Region.
He added that “within the regulations that are important to highlight is the law of single-use plastics, which last very little time in our hands and these implements remain on the planet for hundreds of years, therefore, the regulations are oriented so that we stop using these implements and move to use others that are reusable”.
Meanwhile, the captain of the Port of Constitución, Diego Aguilera Modrow, said that “the international day of beach cleaning is a day that invites us to generate awareness that our coasts must be clean, the oceans and our environment, we are a part of this planet and we must reserve it and take care of it,” he explained.
Fighting pollution
It should be noted that the regional environmental authority referred to the current Law No. 21,413 better known as “Chao Colillas” that seeks to protect beaches of the sea, river or lake, from pollution with cigarette butts, especially in the coastal communes of the country to protect marine ecosystems.
Cigarette butts correspond to between 30% and 40% of the waste collected in urban and coastal cleaning, and their polluting effect can last from 7 to 25 years, and contaminate 10 and 50 liters of water.
So the call to the population is not to break the law, since they can be exposed to fines ranging from one to four UTM, and a penalty of providing services for the benefit of the community, such as cleaning beaches, lakes or rivers.
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