Lorraine Williamson
Since 2015, fishermen from 600 vessels in 47 Spanish ports have removed 1,348 tons of waste from Spanish seas. This waste now serves as raw material for new consumer products, including clothing and shoes.
Fundación Ecoalf launched the ‘Upcycling the Oceans‘ initiative in 2015. Later, Ecoembes, a non-profit responsible for managing packaging waste, joined the project.
Role of fishermen
Fishermen play a key role. When trash appears in their nets, they bring it ashore and deposit it in designated port containers for recycling. In 2024, 2,729 fishermen, mainly trawlers, collected 151,540 kg of waste from the Spanish seabed.
That year, the ports of Vigo and Marín joined the initiative, bringing the total number of participating ports to 47, spanning five autonomous communities: Galicia, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia, and Andalucia.
The recycling process
The process unfolds in four stages: collection, separation, recycling, and processing. First, fishermen separate waste from their catch while at sea. At the port, they place the waste in special containers. The collected waste is then sent to sorting facilities for processing. PET plastic waste is transformed into ‘marine thread’, a 100% recycled polyester used to make high-quality consumer products. Other waste is sorted and directed to suitable recycling channels.
Collaboration with fishermen
Basilio Otero, a fisherman from Burela (Lugo) and president of the Spanish National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, emphasises the fishing industry’s role in cleaning up the sea. He regularly uses onboard containers to collect waste. Pedro Carmona, president of the Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds of Torrevieja (Alicante), joined the project six years ago. He believes that small contributions help keep the sea clean and sees participation as a long-term commitment.
Society’s role in waste reduction
Nieves Rey, Director of Communication and Marketing at Ecoembes, argues that a waste-free future is only achievable through collective effort. Alongside recycling, reducing and reusing materials are essential to preventing waste from entering the sea. Fishermen are vital in removing marine waste, but their work must be supported by broader societal commitment.
Also read: Spain as Europe´s illegal waste dumping site