High tourism, deficiencies in waste management systems and human activity in the coastal areas contribute to the fact that year after year a high amount of waste ends up reaching the sea (marine waste).
Evolution of marine litter, sorted by material (% in weight), collected by the Balearic Islands sea cleaning service
Source:Coastal Clean-up Coordination Centre of the Balearic Islands
The majority of marine litter in the Balearic Islands (50% of them) is plastic waste, highlighting the need to prevent the generation of this type of waste, especially single-use waste, and the implementation of measures to prevent them from ending up dispersed in the environment, especially in marine ecosystems.
Other waste that is also found in abundance is organic waste and vegetation.