The eighth edition of '1m2 against garbage', which will be held on June 1, calls on society to remove waste and reflect on its impact on nature.
In the last edition, more than 16,000 people came together to remove and characterize 80 tons of garbage from 970 natural spaces throughout the country.
The abandonment of waste in nature generates pollution in habitats, affecting species, in addition to causing other environmental problems such as possible fires. According to the Ciencia LIBERA study, the presence of 119 contaminants has been confirmed, chosen for their high level of toxicity and their potential negative effect on habitats and species, in waters, soils, sediments and fox feces.
In this context, the LIBERA Project, developed by SEO/BirdLife in collaboration with Ecoembes, calls for a new edition of '1m2 against garbage' next Saturday, June 1. This large collaborative collection motivates citizens, groups, companies and public administrations to go out to the nearest natural area and free it of waste, favoring an improvement in the state of conservation of biodiversity and reflecting on the current production and consumption model.
In this eighth edition, which will take place within the framework of the celebration of World Environment Day, the LIBERA Project invites all sectors of society to join the great network of liberators and to take action, leaving to collect garbage on nearby beaches, rivers or mountains.
All those people, companies, entities and associations interested in being an active part of the fight against garbage and in joining in this eighth edition of '1m2 against garbage' will be able to do so in three modalities:
- Creating and coordinating a collection point in any natural area in Spain (until May 26).
Register until May 31 at one of the points already created that can be consulted on this map:
- Spreading the campaign through social networks using hashtags
Furthermore, through the 'Basuraleza' app, developed by the Paisaje Limpio and Vertidos Cero associations in collaboration with the LIBERA project, participants who wish to do so will be able to carry out identification work on the collected waste and help x-ray natural spaces. In this way, they will participate in the search for effective solutions adapted to each specific place and space, and will also contribute to feeding the 'Garbage Barometer', the general database that is prepared by the LIBERA Project.
Once again, on June 1, numerous social entities, educational centers, companies and groups that make up the extensive network against litter will join the action. Among them are some of the 750 municipalities throughout Spain that are already part of the program
“Every year that we celebrate this great social event against the abandonment of waste in nature is an opportunity to highlight the impact they generate. We know that all ecosystems are affected by diffuse pollution, garbage being undoubtedly one of the possible sources. The thousands of people who join the initiative see it with their own eyes, being the best way to reflect on the amount of waste we generate. From the LIBERA Project we work to raise awareness about this environmental problem and invite you to reflect on the production and consumption model. The best waste is the one that is not generated. This, in addition to promoting a sustainable circular economy, very significantly reduces the garbage that can end up in any natural space,” declares Alberto Remacha, coordinator of the LIBERA Project at SEO/BirdLife.
Sara Güemes, coordinator of the LIBERA Project at Ecoembes, adds that “once again, we extend the invitation to all those people who wish to intervene in their immediate environment, seek solutions and generate a positive impact on their community, thus contributing to keeping it free of garbage. The call is to join '1m2 against trash'. Although there are more and more of us, our goal is to continue inspiring more citizens. We all have the potential to become LIBERATORS, activists committed to the same values and the determination to address a crucial environmental challenge such as garbage disposal.”
In 2023, this massive annual collaborative event brought together more than 16,000 volunteers simultaneously. Thanks to all of them, 80 tons of garbage were removed and characterized from 970 natural spaces throughout the country.
