Beach Cleaning - 5th Edition

MAR Shopping Algarve's "Beach Cleaning" project, which began in May 2021, held its fifth edition in October 2023 at Forte Novo Beach, Loulé, with the support of public and private organisations and numerous volunteers. It emphasised concern about the environmental damage caused by plastic, which takes more than 400 years to decompose, resulting in pollution of around 171 trillion particles in the ocean. The initiative, part of Environmental Education and Volunteering Initiatives Week (SEIVA 2023), involved partnerships with organisations such as Loulé Town Hall and the Portuguese Environment Agency, culminating in a workshop on invasive plants. Previous editions of the project have shown positive results, including 20 partners, 287 volunteers, an average recycling rate of 45% and the collection of 9,700kg of rubbish.