Eco Amigos: Community action that’s helping clean up the Costa del Sol
In November 2024, five British friends living in Casares Costa, Malaga province, decided to get practical to tackle a shared environmental worry. Man-made rubbish was increasing on their local beaches in the Casares Costa/Sabinillas and Duquesa area. Banding together, they formed Eco Amigos, an ongoing community clean-up project, with the motto “No One Can Do Everything, But Everyone Can Do Something!”
Right away, the group began growing in number and is now composed of over 400 supporters on Facebook, and an active and fast-growing WhatsApp group of volunteers who regularly take part in the cleans. They organise monthly clean-up events in and around Casares Costa.
Since the group began, they have removed hundreds of large bags of rubbish from public areas and been able to recycle about half of their haul. The Amigos meet once a month on a Sunday morning and put in a concentrated 1.5 hours of cleaning. In that time, they can easily collect over 60 large bags of rubbish, with 76 bags being their biggest litter-grab, to date.
Between 10 to 30 volunteers work together to target beaches and community areas such as picnic zones, recreational areas and any area that is noticeably drowning in litter. Importantly, when removing man-made debris from beaches, they also go one street back and blast their way through drainage areas alongside the roads, safely removing discarded plastic bottles, beverage cans, expired vapes and empty food containers, along with any other contaminating items that have been tossed out of moving vehicles by thoughtless individuals. Normally, these discarded items land in the gutter and when the next rains arrive, the rainwater transports the debris straight into the sea, a few hundred metres away.
At the start, the Amigos were self-funding the purchase of the necessary tools for the job: 100% recycled bin bags, litter picking sticks, protective gloves and hand sanitiser. A few months down the line, a local bar, the Rose and Thistle in Duquesa Port, generously donated the proceeds of a Charity Quiz night to the Amigos, giving the group a cash fund so that these necessary items were covered for future cleans.
Eco Amigos is now made up of men and women from a wonderfully international and diverse group of residents that live in and around Casares Costa. Founder, Melissa Vaughn said, “Our aim is to do our part to help the planet as it’s clear that all councils, no matter where they are nowadays, are struggling to cope with the constantly increasing amount of litter and rubbish-dumping. The Amigos are community-minded and non-political. We like collaborating as a team to give something back to the Costa we love so much. New volunteers can just show up at the allocated date and time, as litter picking sticks, bin bags and gloves are handed out at the start. Youngsters are encouraged to come along too!
It’s about promoting community connection as well as cleaning up; our group laugh, chat and finish up a clean by sharing a well-deserved coffee together. It’s a great way to make new friends.”
The group welcomes volunteers of all nationalities and ages to join their Facebook group or follow them on Instagram @eco_amigos_casarescosta and, most importantly, to come along to do their bit.
The next Eco Amigos clean will be in Sabinillas on Sunday 31 August at 9am and will be grabbing garbage in the 500-metre area that completely circles the outer wall of the car park at Lidl in Sabinillas.
The Amigos are happy to announce that on World Clean Up Day, Saturday 20 September, they’ll be launching a brand-new sub-group, Eco Amigos Marbella! They’ll be collaborating with the popular ladies’ group, Costa Women, on that day for a women-only clean-up event in the Old Town area, as part of the global World Clean Up Day activities. World Clean Up Day is an event that encourages people worldwide to participate in clean-up activities to raise awareness about waste management and promote a cleaner environment. This will be a great opportunity for environmentally-conscious women to meet, make new friends or business connections and do their bit for the planet.
In subsequent months, both men and women will be welcome to pitch in and help with Eco Amigos Marbella’s community clean ups in the Marbella area.
For further information about any of the above activities, the Amigos are contactable by phone – +34 622 060 488 or via Facebook at Eco Amigos https://www.facebook.com/groups/1124865454885547 and on Instagram @eco_amigos_casarescosta.