Every year human activity generates vast amounts of marine litter that accumulate in the oceans, threatening marine life and the health of people and the planet. Recognizing this challenge, Ecoembes and the Ecoalf Foundation have joined forces since 2015 with the Recycling Oceans initiative. The project embodies a circular economy approach as fishermen from across the country collect debris from the sea and transform it into raw materials for new products.
The initiative recovers waste that should never be dumped in the sea, giving it a second life through recycling and the circular economy. The project relies on the dedication and collaboration of fishermen who bring the marine litter they remove from their nets ashore so it can be recycled into usable raw materials.
In 2022, the collective effort of the close network reached 2,600 fishermen who together gathered 189,844 kilos of waste from the Spanish seafloor. This data, released during the annual activity presentation, shows the expanding reach of the program and the fisheries sector’s commitment to ocean protection.
So much progress has been made that by 2023 the program expanded with Galician ports joining from Sanxenxo and Combarro. The initiative now includes 45 cooperating fishing ports across five autonomous communities: Galicia, Catalonia, the Community of Valencia, Andalusia and the Region of Murcia. Meetings and training sessions are organized to deepen fishermen’s engagement and participation in the project.
The Upcycling the Oceans effort has also featured voices that highlight the role of those who make this work possible. Fisherwoman Miriam Artacho explains the motivation: the goal is to keep nets free from garbage, so the seafloor remains clean and the ecosystem safe. She acknowledges there is much work still to do but vows to continue contributing to the cause.
During the presentation, Ecoembes Director of Communications and Marketing Nieves Rey emphasized the fishermen’s central role and the need for broader commitment to remove litter from marine ecosystems. She noted that fishermen are the main protagonists, collecting waste from nets daily and transporting it to port for recycling, thus giving it a second life as part of a circular economy.
Andrea Ruzo, Director of the Ecoalf Foundation, stated that marine litter is a global problem and Recycling the Oceans demonstrates how society can help clean the oceans. She stressed that ensuring recycling requires citizen participation in addition to fishermen’s essential work and that together there are solutions to stop pollution. The project also shows, in collaboration with science, how to prevent and make visible a problem that lies beneath the surface.
A key element of Upcycling the Oceans is expanding knowledge about marine litter to improve understanding and drive solutions. The MARNOBA platform from Vertidos Cero Association collects, stores, and shares information about marine debris from Spain’s coasts and seas, supporting ongoing study and action.
Industrial packaging, food and cosmetic containers, and shopping bags are among the types of marine litter collected by fishermen during the past year. The initiative continues to analyze and learn from debris with platforms like MARNOBA, while fishermen and the trawling industry work together to protect the marine ecosystem. By 2023 Recycling Oceans aims to involve more participants, educate more fishermen, and remove as much waste as possible from the seafloor to give it a second life.
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