THE opposition PSOE socialist party on Benidorm City Council wants a smoking ban on all local beaches.
In July 2024, the council signed an agreement with the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) to turn the ‘accessible beach’ areas used by people with mobility issues at Poniente and Levante into smoke-free areas.
The authority at the time promised to expand the initiative to other ‘municipal areas’.
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Now the PSOE group wants all of the city’s beaches to join the Valencian Community’s ‘Network of Smoke-Free Beaches’.
Socialist councillor, Laura Rubio, pointed out that neighbouring municipalities like Villajoyosa, Finestrat and l’Alfas del Pi have already introduced bans.
Rubio said: “It is not acceptable that in a city like Benidorm smoke-free spaces are limited to very specific points of the accessible beaches, while the rest of the coast remains unprotected.”
She stressed that is not just a public health issue but a ban would also protect the environment.
“Cigarette butts create very abundant waste on the sandbanks and one of the most harmful; a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 50 litres of water which takes a decade to degrade, releasing microplastics and toxic substances such as arsenic or lead into our marine ecosystem,” explained Rubio.
The councillor said by signing up to the regional network, warning signs, awareness, and monitoring of beaches would be part of the package.
“We want a transition towards healthier beaches, where pure air and respect for the environment are the norm and not the exception,” she continued.
“If other neighbouring municipalities have already achieved it with an excellent acceptance by tourists and residents, what is the mayor, Toni Perez, waiting for?” Rubio asked.
She appealed to Perez and his administration to take her proposal seriously and to ‘implement it as soon as possible’.
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