Costa Almeria locals asked to pitch in with natural space clean-up

ORGANISERS of an event to clear rubbish from Vera’s natural spaces are asking local residents and associations to pitch in.
What will be the first “Jornada de Limpieza de Entornos Naturales de Vera: no mas basuraleza” (Vera natural environments cleaning day: no more litter), is set to take place on Saturday September 12 at the Salar de los Canos wetlands.
The Sureste athletics club and the Save the Salar de Los Canos and territory association are behind the initiative, on which Vera council is collaborating.
Due to the Covid-19 situation the organisers are planning small rubbish collection groups.
Registrations to join in must therefore be made in advance either by emailing salvemoselsalar@gmail.com or calling 637 22 87 25.
The athletics club said its aim is to “unite the values and spirit of sport with those of caring for and respecting the environment.”
Sureste is an amateur club made up of more than 100 runners. At the beginning of the health crisis the members raised more than €2,000 for the fight against Covid-19 with their “#YoCorroEnCasa” (I run at home) challenge.
Save the Salar de Los Canos and territory was set up in 2018 by a group of nature lovers with the aim of promoting respect for and the protection of the environment though environmental education and creating real ecological awareness in the community.
The association’s top objective is to see El Salar de los Canos established as a “point of special ecological and environmental interest” through protection measures and actions, and to see Vera become a model for the management of natural resources.
“We are collaborating with this initiative as caring for the environment is something which should be in everyone’s mind, hence these kinds of organised, joint actions with associations and private entities have the council’s full support”, commented Vera Deputy Mayor Alfonso Garcia.
The Deputy Mayor maintained the council cleans and maintains the municipal natural areas 365 days a year, and said the local authority wants to “make the most of this day as an awareness-raising tool, so that residents get increasingly involved and see how important it is for the environment to keep our municipality clean in general, and our natural spaces in particular.”
The council is providing the containers for the waste collected and essential materials like gloves and bags.
The organisers have especially urged family groups to go along on the day “so that the youngest are learning how important it is to conserve the environment.”