Joshua Parfitt
A VIDEO showing plastic pollution beneath one of Alicante’s most stunning beaches has gone viral with over 140,000 views in just four days.
Wildlife expert Alberto Artero Cabazas filmed himself swimming through wet wipes, plastic bags and other microplastics in La Cala de Ali.
The Cala, just south of Alicante city, regularly features as one of the province’s most beautiful beaches.
But Alberto’s video captures a very different side of it.
Alongside an Instagram post, Alberto wrote: “We never ask you to share my photos or videos, but this is unacceptable. Just wet wipes, tissues and plastics everywhere.
It is one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen; I couldn’t believe this was in my hometown.
“We must change. We can’t keep destroying the environment this way.
“We must realise that killing the oceans is killing ourselves. No one will save the planet for us, and we are running out of time.
“We are responsible of our acts; just think twice before doing something that will harm the only planet where we can live, like throwing wet wipes in the toilet or littering on the beach.”
The Cala de Ali is located near to the Rincon de León wastewater treatment plant.
There is also a desalination plant nearby, not to mention the 1.8-million strong city of Alicante.
The impacts of microplastics have shot into public awareness in recent years, particularly for British viewers following the release of BBC’s Blue Planet II in 2018.
The series showed footage of dead seabirds with stomachs full of plastic as well as a pilot whale baby believed to have died from plastic-related intoxication.
