Human activity continues to alter the natural balance of our oceans. Thus, tons of waste end up depositing day by day in seabed. A reality that not only involves a risk to people’s health, but is also a threat to marine biodiversity. To reverse this situation, in 2015, the Ecoalf Foundation launched UPCyCling the Oceans, a project to which Ecoembes joined a year later and in which they work together since then to move towards a future without waste.
This initiative, based on collaboration, commitment and environmental awareness, seeks to release the seas of Dump. Their success is possible thanks to the effort of their true protagonists: fishermen, who, finding waste trapped in their networks, transfer them to the mainland and deposit them in the containers of the ports so that they can be recycled and turned into new resources.
In 2024, thanks to the involvement of 2,729 fishermen, mostly dragging fishermen, a total of 151,540 kg of garbage from Spanish seabed were collected. In addition, during the past year, the Galician ports of Vigo and Marín joined the project, thus adding a total of 47 collaborating fishing ports distributed in five autonomous communities: Galicia, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Region of Murcia and Andalusia.
Specifically, since the beginning of this collaboration, 1,348 tons of marine background as a result of the daily activity and the commitment of this fishermen network have been recovered on the Spanish coast.
In reference to the results, the great protagonists of the project highlight the work of all fishermen and put in value that there is a project of these characteristics. Basilio Otero, Mariñeiro de Burela and president of the National Fishermen’s Brotherhood Federation, has been participating in Upcycling The Oceans for years, practically since its inception. Otero highlights «the importance of the fishing sector not only collaborating in the cleaning of the sea, but also visible it from the hand of Ecoembes. In my day to day, I use the containers installed in the ships to collect both the waste generated on board and those that appear in the fishing arts ». In addition, it emphasizes that “most marine garbage comes from land, and projects like this help disassemble the bad image that sometimes unfairly associates the fishing sector.”
For his part, Pedro Carmona, president of the Fishermen’s Brotherhood Federation of Torrevieja, joined the project about six or seven years ago, “convinced that any contribution, however small, contributes to the cleaning of the sea.” Its brotherhood, with a single drag ship, collects waste that, over time, manages to fill entire containers, preventing those waste from continuing to contaminate the ocean. For him, participating in Upcycling The Oceans “does not imply an effort, but a commitment to the future of the sea.” In addition, he believes that “with this project a very important job is being done. It is wonderful to be able to collect the garbage, to raise awareness of the people that the sea should not throw anything. In addition, apart from being clean, we live on it and we want it to be in the best conditions ».
In addition, Nieves Rey, Director of Communication and Marketing of Ecoembes, insists that: «Building a future without waste and moving towards a real circular economy will only be possible if we work together. Beyond recycling, it is essential to boost gestures such as reduction and reuse to prevent waste from ending in the sea. Fishermen play an essential role in removing waste from the oceans that threaten them, but their effort must be accompanied by the commitment of the whole society. Each waste collected, managed correctly and recycled represents a step forward in the protection of the ecosystem and reinforces the importance of this project in the circularity challenge. The key to keeping garbage -free seabes is in prevention, an essential action to minimize our impact on the environment ».
Andrea Ruzo, director of the Ecoalf Foundation, highlights the importance of the UPCyCling the Oceans project as a clear example of how collaboration can generate a positive impact on the planet: «This project would not be possible without the incredible work of volunteer fishermen, who every day not only go out for a banan, but also collect the waste they find in the sea, becoming true agents of the change. Its commitment demonstrates that ocean protection is a shared responsibility and that, when we join forces, change is possible. But cleaning the oceans is not enough if we do not stop the entry of waste into them. It is crucial that as a society we become aware and act from the origin of the problem, reducing our waste and managing them properly. UPCyCling the Oceans goes beyond cleaning the waters; It is proof that innovation, collective awareness and teamwork can promote a more sustainable future for all. “
Four actions: recover, separate, recycle and process
To alleviate this problem, a model based on 4 fundamental actions is pursued: recover, separate, recycle and process. The first phase begins in the sea itself, when the fishermen go out to slaughter and face, day by day, a critical reality: to find in their networks marine that thoroughly separate the fish that then arrive at our homes.
Once they return to the port, they deposit marine garbage in the specific containers provided by the project, and are then transported to the separation plants for classification and subsequent processing. In the case of PET plastic residues, in addition, once transformed into Granza, they are treated to become the Ecoalf sea thread, a 100% recycled polyester that is used to make products with the same quality and design as not recycled.
The rest of the waste is selected and sent to their corresponding recycling channels, giving them a second life.
Another of the values of this project is to obtain information through science and the study of the garbage that is recovered. Thanks to this, the knowledge that exists about this problem is also enriched and the search for solutions is contributed.
Specifically, the project performs the analysis of the waste collected in collaboration with the Marnoba platform, of the Zero Vertidos Association, providing information on the quantity, location and distribution of waste, as well as their origin.
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