Weather warning for Spain’s Malaga and Costa del Sol as Storm Karine to bring strong winds and rough seas (26 830

Naked cleanup 8 GREEN March 5th - March 18th 2020

CRACKED IT: Nudists clean up beach

GUARDAMAR del Segura council has pledged to clean seven kilometres of its sandy beaches by hand. The Costa Blanca town’s well-known nudist resort at Los Tusales is included, along with Los Viveros and Les Ortigues. Councilwoman, Mari Carmen Aguilera stressed the necessity of the clean-up saying, “Our beaches are among the most important in the entire Mediterranean.” Initially, five staff will maintain the beaches’ natural profile by removing man-made waste leaving

Costa Blanca nudist resort opts for manual litter-picking to maintain ‘virgin and natural beaches’

only natural elements such as vegetation, algae and stones. Efforts will focus on sev

Cleaner waste GUAR DAMAR del Segura has splashed out €80,000 on two electric vehicles to collect household waste from local residents. The pricey motors arrived at the town hall last week where mayor Jose Luis Saez described them as emblematic of its commitment to using non-polluting vehicles.

en of the 11 kilometres of sand, with a further eight labourers joining the team on May 16. According to Aguilera, those areas are consid- ered ‘virgin and natural beaches that make Guardamar an example that the conservation of natural heritage is perfectly compatible with sun and beach tourism.’ Clearing the beaches manually, instead of using mechanical means, has a more positive impact on the environment due to the selective nature of waste removal and value for money.

PILAR de la Horadada council has chosen its own San Isidro neighbourhood to experiment with a pilot door-todoor rubbish collection scheme. Local Councillor for the Environment, Pedro Miguel Moya, said the scheme will start in March with residents leaving rubbish out in designated bins, four times a week. The Integrated Waste Plan (PIR) was approved in April 2019 by the regional council of Valenciana, which forms the first part of a whole new management model, striving towards a ‘zero-waste’ community. Moya claims she wants, ‘to reduce waste at source and prepare the rest for quality recycling.’ She also thanked the residents of the neighborhood in question, ‘who are going to be pioneers of door to door collection at a regional level.’ Different days of the week represent the collection of

Heroes to zero

different kinds of waste, such as paper, glass and organic material. Street dumpsters will also vanish. At a meeting with local residents, Councillor for Public Services, Adrian Lopez, distributed specially-produced guides and leaflets for residents, advising them what to throw out, and when.

Toxic terrors

THE deadly processionary pine caterpillar is arriving early this year thanks to climate change, experts have warned. The prickly fiends, whose hairs prove toxic to dogs and pets, have been encouraged due to a lack of rain and an increase in temperatures. According to the Nation- al Association of Environ- mental Health Companies (Anecpla), it means parks, gardens or forests with pine trees have already witnessed the return of the caterpillars. The group said their arrival is a month ahead of sched- ule and reiterated the threat they pose to domestic ani- mals. Even the slightest of contact can cause dermatitis, eye damage and strong allergic reactions, including tongue swelling, often resulting in death.

Necrosis The experts have warned citizens to take extra caution when walking their dogs. It comes after two sisters, aged five and ten, had to be treated by emergency paramedics in Ceuta after coming into contact with the pests. Both girls, who had been walking in San Amaro park, became covered in hives and their body temperatures soared. Both have now recovered fully. Malaga, Caceres, Alicante and Valencia have all seen the caterpillars, the experts warned. They are particularly dangerous as you do not need to even touch them to be impacted, as when threatened they can shoot their spiky hairs as a defence mechanism. Acting as darts, they carry their toxic allergen and are just as dangerous. Each caterpillar has around 500,000 of the hairs, known as trichomes. In animals, the toxin from the hairs can cause swelling of the mouth, tongue and head along with intense itching and over salivation. If they eat a caterpillar, it can cause necrosis of the tongue and throat, causing death.