Students in the 5th, 7th and 10th/11th grades of the Bemposta Schools Group – including José Sobral Basic School, Mexilhoeira Grande, D.João II, Alvor and Bemposta Basic-Secondary School – accepted the challenge and went to the beaches of Alvor, Três Irmãos, Barranco das Canas and Vau, on the coast of Portimão, catch and meet “the usual suspects”.
On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of April, each of the 14 participating groups was responsible for a small area of sand, where, in addition to collecting, they had to separate and identify the waste (garbage) found.
Much of the waste we produce when it escapes the collection and treatment systems, sooner or later ends up in the sea. The accumulation of plastic at sea has been identified as one of the biggest global problems of our times.
Through marine currents, garbage can travel long distances and reach the coast in remote places, such as desert islands and inaccessible corners, far from human presence, with adverse impacts on marine fauna and flora.
Knowing “what is happening on our beach” was the challenge that the students in the group took on, when monitoring some beaches in Portimão.
Knowing, informing and disseminating the results are steps to act to change everyday behaviors, opting for sustainable solutions and preventive behaviors that avoid the problem's aggravation.
Now, after monitoring, at school, during the third term of classes, the data will be processed and disseminated. The most frequent, most dangerous and unusual type of waste will be identified and disclosed.
This is an action integrated in the discipline of Citizenship and Development of Grouping, within the scope of the campaign to monitor waste present on Portuguese beaches, promoted under the Eco-Schools Program, by the Associação Bandeira Azul da Europa, and which has the support of Environment Division of the Portimão City Council.
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