This Thursday, July 16, at the port of Villefranche-sur-Mer, the president of the departmental council of Alpes-Maritimes, Eric Ciotti, was present to support the “clean harbor” operation and the free provision of bags to the boaters of the port. Two initiatives of the Department for respecting the environment in the Alpes-Maritimes.
Since 2006, the department has been conducting an awareness campaign, providing waste collection bags to boaters. The bags are supplied to the harbormasters of the ports so they can distribute them to boat owners, contributing to the preservation of marine water quality. During the summer of 2015, 120,000 bags, made of 70% recycled plastic material and with a capacity of 30 liters, will be provided to the harbormasters of the 34 ports in the department.
The “Clean Harbor” operation, on the other hand, has been organized by the department since 2008. It involves the collection of garbage at sea in the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer during the months of July and August.
The operation was born out of an observation: Many boaters were leaving garbage on the port quays and city sidewalks, or throwing it directly overboard. The departmental council therefore set up this free collection using a barge equipped with 660-liter containers. Two days a week, the barge goes from boat to boat to collect their waste, to prevent any pollution. This operation allows for the collection of about thirty tons of waste each summer: 30 tons in 2014 and 35 tons in 2013.
This year, eighteen outings are planned between July 1st and August 30th.
