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Most people enjoying a morning swim or an afternoon on the sand along Cartagena's coastline probably don't give much thought to how the beach got that way. The answer, it turns out, involves tractors, dozens of workers, and shifts that start at 10pm and run through the night.

 

The Ayuntamiento of Cartagena has been running a stepped-up coastal cleaning operation throughout the summer season, and the numbers behind it are more impressive than you might expect. In La Manga, two tractors get to work at 10pm on beaches including Levante, Barco Perdido and Galúa, with two more starting at 6am to cover La Manga del Mar Menor, Cala Reona and Calnegre, including the removal of Posidonia oceanica seagrass.

 

Around the Mar Menor itself, across beaches from Playa Honda to Punta Brava, two more tractors run from midnight to 8am five days a week throughout July, August and the first half of September.

 

Councillor for Coastal Areas Álvaro Valdés said the effort behind the scenes often goes unnoticed. "Behind the image of our beaches lies the tireless effort of a team working around the clock, ensuring the beaches are cleaned every night and all the furniture and accessible services are properly maintained," he said.

 

Beyond the tractors, there are 33 operators working across the different zones each day, keeping walkways swept, the 28 public toilets cleaned and disinfected, shade structures maintained, and assisted bathing equipment checked and ready.

 

The waste collection side of the operation is equally substantial: in July alone, 279 one-cubic-metre containers were removed, and more than 120 cubic metres of waste taken off the beaches in a single month.

 

The operation continues through August with specific intensive weeks in different areas. This week, Monday August 10 to Friday August 14, crews are concentrating on Cabo de Palos and Cala Flores. The week of August 17 to 21 shifts focus to Islas Menores, Mar de Cristal, Los Nietos and Nietos Viejos, before La Manga gets its own intensive push from August 24 to 28.

 

Running alongside all of this is the Ayuntamiento's 'Our Pets Matter' campaign, with mobile information stands visiting different beach areas to distribute waste bags and information about the Municipal Ordinance. Today, Monday August 10, the stand is in La Manga del Mar Menor opposite the Día supermarket.

 

 

 

 

Images: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena