Larvotto: nearly 80 kg of rubbish collected at sea and on land

Around thirty volunteers were on hand last Saturday, to carry out a ground and underwater clean-up of the Larvotto Marine Protected Area.

The major clean-up is organised every year by the Association Monégasque pour la Protection de la Nature (Monegasque Nature Protection Association – AMPN), in partnership with the Club d’Exploration Sous-Marine de Monaco (Monaco Underwater Exploration Club – CESMM). It is usually carried out at the end of the summer, when the activity at sea calms down and the number of people on the beaches tails off.

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Despite many awareness-raising campaigns, a lot of waste could still be avoided. “It could be a gust of wind or a wave that brings it out to sea, but there is also still a lot of anti-social behaviour,” Camille Devissi, AMPN project manager, told Monaco Info. On Saturday 8 October, bottles and cans were found in the water, as well as ropes that had been left behind during certain activities. In total, no less than 75kg of marine litter was collected.

SEE ALSO: Port of Fontvieille: catch of the day…ocean waste

At the same time, other volunteers were on the lookout for waste on the ground, and unfortunately they also had a ‘good’ haul. On the beach, 3kg of rubbish was collected, mainly consisting of cigarette butts, despite the beach being a non-smoking area. “A lot of waste could be avoided through more responsible behaviour,”  the non-profit organisation reminds us on its Facebook page.