Innoceana organizes 45 marine debris cleanups across Tenerife Island

Innoceana Tenerife conducted, between October 2023 and August 2024, 45 marine debris cleanups across the island of Tenerife, focusing on preserving the local marine ecosystems of the Canary Islands. These efforts, which included 14 beach cleanups, 19 underwater cleanups, and 9 offshore cleanups, resulted in the removal of 738 kg of waste from the ocean. Of this total, 444 kg was plastic, representing 60% of the collected waste.

The cleanups were made possible thanks to the collaboration of 82 dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to restore the health of the marine environment. During the cleanups, the collected waste was carefully categorized into 61 different types, providing valuable insights into the most harmful debris impacting marine ecosystems.

Among the plastic waste, over 6,600 fragments larger than 2.5 cm were found, constituting approximately 29% of the plastic waste. Nearly 5,600 smaller plastic fragments made up about 25% of the total plastic. Ropes and nets accounted for 12% of the plastic debris, with more than 2,500 pieces collected. Bottle caps were also prevalent, representing 9% of the plastic waste with nearly 2,000 items recovered. Additional significant items included 725 plastic bags (5% of the plastic waste), 543 food wrappers (4%), 494 pieces of polystyrene (3.5%), 441 plastic bottles (3%), and 272 food containers (2%).

This detailed categorization has helped Innoceana Tenerife better understand the types of debris most commonly polluting the waters around Tenerife, allowing them to focus future efforts on the materials that pose the greatest threat to marine life.

Innoceana continues to work closely with volunteers and the local community to create a cleaner and safer environment for marine life. Through these cleanups, the organization is taking important steps to reduce ocean pollution and raise awareness about the urgent need to protect our oceans for future generations.