The City Council is implementing an emergency action plan and stepping up efforts to remove the massive influx of Asian algae from the coastline

Since Saturday, June 13, the City Council has estimated that 1,100 metric tons of debris have been collected from La Rada Beach alone, with an estimated additional 1,000 metric tons to be removed from the rest of the coastline.

The City Council is pressing the central government to implement a national plan to address this serious problem and to provide funding to local governments for the removal of this waste.

The Estepona City Council has implemented an urgent emergency plan to deal with the massive influx of Asian seaweed onto our beaches—a situation that has been exacerbated by the continuous easterly storms that are washing large quantities of this species ashore. Susana Aragón, the councilwoman in charge of Beaches, explained that since last Saturday, June 13, when these massive algal blooms began arriving, a special beach cleaning, conservation, and maintenance operation was launched, involving a significant deployment of personnel and specialized machinery.

The councilwoman noted that in the five days since operations began, 1,100 metric tons of seaweed have been collected at La Rada Beach alone. Work is also already underway on the other affected beaches, such as Buenas Noches, Guadalobón, La Cala, El Velerín, and El Saladillo, where it is estimated that more than 1,000 metric tons will be removed.

The team carrying out this work—which operates on a continuous shift from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.—consists of 35 cleanup workers, 7 tractors, 3 trailers with tanks, 1 4×4 truck, 2 backhoes, 7 seaweed removal machines, and a dump truck.

According to the municipal official, despite the enormous human and material resources deployed daily, seaweed accumulations continue to reappear constantly, greatly hindering beach cleanup and maintenance efforts.

It should also be noted that the Estepona City Council has been asking the central government for four years to implement a national plan to comprehensively address the serious problem posed by invasive seaweed along Spain’s coastlines, as well as to assist municipalities in the removal and treatment of this waste, since local governments cannot tackle this issue on their own.