Each summer the Almuñécar fleet of cleaning skiffs plies the waters off the town’s beaches, skimming off floating rubbish and questionable discarded objects.

The are supposed to work their way from the Barranco de Enmedio (which is the municipal limit between Almuñécar and Salobreña) and Playa Cantarriján, which is the last beach before the province of Málaga. But the question is… do they?

Well, according to resident above the Marina del Este, it is not done on a daily basis, which is what should happen, neither do they scoop up all the floating rubbish… or any rubbish, some consider.

The skiffs or small craft, are new, according to the Town Hall and are equipped with two, 2-metre hydraulic baskets each, capable of performing a 4-metre-wide frontal sweep. As a safety measure, the inboard engines are equipped with jet propulsion nozzles rather than propellers, minimising any risk in the event of contact with swimmers. Oh, and they have GPS so that their position can be monitored ashore.

Now, locals in that area frequent the Cala de los Ermitaños, or the Calita del Puerto, if you prefer, which lies between the marina and the Playa del Muerto in Cotobro. It is actually right next to the entrance to the Marina.

Such is the ineffictiveness of the cleaning boats that locals take it upon themselves to pick up floatsam from the beaches

From there, beachgoers can see the cleaning skiff with empty nets. In fact, some consider that when they do scoop up something, the move further along and dump it back into the water, rather than having to unload the ‘catch’ and dispose of it the proper way.

However, the Councillor for Beaches, assures that the cleaning craft go out every day, save on four occasions because of the sea state.

(News: Marina del Este, Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Not Doing Their Job?, Cleaning Skiffs, Scoops, Ineffective, Locals Complain

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