Strengthening our work to make Menorca a plastic-free destination

Our Plastic Free Menorca Alliance, in collaboration with TUI Care Foundation, strengthens its work to make Menorca a plastic-free destination

Information tables, waste collection, signage, 0 Plastic Experiences to raise awareness among visitors and collaboration with MarSave lifeguards strengthen the project promoted by our Plastic Free Menorca Alliance in collaboration with the TUI Care Foundation

Menorca Preservation, through the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance and in collaboration with the TUI Care Foundation within its “Destination Zero Waste Menorca” program, has reinforced the actions aimed at visitors traveling around the island during the summer included in the project. Standing out, on the one hand, is the Plastic Free Beach initiative in Punta Prima, a pilot action that seeks to turn this area into a reference space free of plastics, and on the other hand, the 0 Plastic Experiences, an initiative driven by 0 Plastic Menorca, a member entity of the Alliance, designed to encourage more conscious tourism with regard to plastic pollution and with lower environmental impact through a network of certified experiences and activities in plastic reduction.

Plastic Free Beach: information tables, signage and waste collection

During this summer, information tables were organized on the beach with the Alliance team to raise awareness among residents and visitors about the impact of plastic waste and to encourage more sustainable habits. More than 55 people approached these points, participating in dynamics and educational activities.

At the same time, waste collections were organized both with visitors and residents, managing to remove 2,345 pieces of waste. Of these, 1,880 were cigarette butts, a particularly harmful waste as it breaks down into millions of microplastic particles and contaminates seawater, endangering marine life.

In addition, with the collaboration of the Sant Lluís Town Council, permanent information signage has been installed on the promenade next to the beach with recommendations for better use of the space, thus reinforcing other resources already present such as the reuse points for beach items or the filtered water fountain that helps reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bottles:

“Menorca receives more than 1.5 million tourists in summer, and a large part of them concentrate on beaches and tourist urbanizations. These areas are strategic for the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance because they allow us to work on reducing the use of plastics with the private sector through certifications, with visitors through initiatives such as reuse points for beach items and water fountains, and together, creating areas highly aware of this environmental issue,” explains Marta Pérez, coordinator of the Alliance, adding that: “until now we worked occasionally in various tourist areas, but thanks to the support of the TUI Care Foundation we have been able to focus efforts and resources in a pilot area, where we will evaluate the impact over three years. If the results are positive – and we believe they will be – the objective is to expand the initiative to other tourist areas of the island.”

How does the Plastic Free Beach initiative work?

The project seeks to transform Punta Prima into the first plastic-free beach in Menorca by providing resources that facilitate responsible consumption and more respectful enjoyment of the environment:

• Reuse points for beach items, to extend the useful life of toys, umbrellas, and other items.
• Filtered water fountain, to encourage the use of reusable bottles and thus avoid the use of plastic bottles.
• ‘Plastic-free’ certification for businesses in the area, providing tools and alternatives to plastic to promote a more sustainable tourism sector.
• Information tables, waste collection and signage, to increase social awareness and community participation.

 

0 Plastic Experiences: 30 tourism companies encourage enjoying Menorca while reducing the plastic footprint and in a way respectful to the environment

The initiative led by 0 Plastic Menorca seeks to directly involve the tourism sector by offering people visiting the island during the summer experiences focused on minimizing their use of single-use plastics. In collaboration with hotels, restaurants, and outdoor activity companies, materials, interactive content, and resources have been created to raise awareness among clients and give visibility to sustainable alternatives.

Between July 15 and September 10, 2025, a total of 30 affiliated companies actively participated in the campaign, achieving 858 interactions with tourists interested in reducing their plastic footprint. Among these companies, accommodations have been the main driver of the initiative, generating almost half of the interactions recorded.

In addition, for each interaction carried out, the 0 Plastic Menorca association commits to removing 1 kg of plastic from the sea, turning visitors’ actions into direct impact.

From 0 Plastic Menorca they highlight that the results show a positive adoption of the proposal, with great potential for growth in future seasons: “Tourism is a very relevant economic activity for the island, but it is important to be aware that the population more than doubles during the summer and the impact that entails. Recent studies show that, during the high season, the amount of waste generated per square meter on the beaches of the islands increases almost 6-fold. That is why we see it as essential to increasingly involve tourists in environmental awareness actions, incorporating them into the leisure activities they carry out during their stay in Menorca. The objective of 0 Plastic Experiences is to invite visitors to be part of the solution, minimizing their plastic footprint,” explains Alejandro Mur, Co-founder of 0 Plastic Menorca.

Other actions on the beaches of Menorca: MarSave collaborates with the Beach Item Reuse Points

At the same time, the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance has also continued working on the Beach Item Reuse Points (PRAPs): new points have been installed in private companies and on beaches (Arenal d’en Castell and Son Parc).

It has been identified that PRAPs on beaches, being in a public space, present a greater number of incidents (broken products, trash, etc.). In order to respond to this issue, a new collaboration emerged with the lifeguard company MarSave, who offered to help with monitoring tasks. Their work in informing users about the project and supervising the proper functioning of the PRAPs is being of great help:

“Lifeguards are the first link in the chain in an emergency on the beach. Our priority will always be prevention and the protection of life, but we also believe that a safe beach is a well-kept beach. That is why we are proud to collaborate with Plastic Free Menorca and contribute to ensuring that our workplace is preserved in the best possible condition, for as long as possible, for a safer and more sustainable environment,” says Jesús Mariscal, Coordinator of Marsave in Menorca.