Maps: Which beaches in Spain have banned smoking?
With the news that Barcelona has recently banned smoking on all its city beaches from July, we take a look at where else in Spain has banned smoking on the sand.
Barcelona recently announced that it will ban smoking on all of its 10 city beaches from July this year. This means there will be a total of five kilometres of smoke-free sand in Spain's second-largest city. Last year, Barcelona decided to ban smoking on four of its main beaches between May 29th and September 12th as a trial run, and this year has extended the ban all year round to all its beaches, due to the success.
Many in Barcelona have praised the move, while many others have taken to social media to express their anger at the rule.
As well as being horrible to find between your toes when sunbathing or when your kids are building a sandcastle, cigarette butts are harmful to the environment and marine life.
A discarded cigarette butt is made of over 97 percent cellulose acetate and contains 4,000+ chemical toxins.
But, discarded cigarette butts are just half the issue, the other problem is the smoke, which on Spain's crowded beaches can affect the health and well-being of many others around.
Barcelona is of course not the only Spanish city to have banned smoking on its public beaches. We take a look at which other beaches across the country have put a stop to it.
Catalonia
Besides the 10 beaches in Barcelona, many of Catalonia's beaches have banned smoking, all the way up to the Costa Brava. In fact, Catalonia became the first region to designate a 'smoke-free' beach when the town of L’Escala introduced the rule back in 2006. Since then, it has been extended to a total of 19 beaches in the region, these include Sant Feliu, Sant Pol, Canyerets in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Playa de Ocata in El Masnou, Playa de Sa Boadella, Canyelles, Treumal and Fenals in Lloret de Mar, and Playa de L'Escala.
Galicia
The region of Galicia has the most smoke-free beaches in Spain, with a whopping 187 ocean and river beaches imposing the ban. These include 70 beaches in the province of A Coruña, 32 in Lugo, 12 in Ourense and 73 in Pontevedra.
Some of the most popular and well-known beaches that are free from tobacco include Santa Cristina in Oleiros, A Rapadoira in Foz, and Silgar in Sanxenxo.
Canary Islands
Gran Canaria is the main island in the Canaries that has introduced smoking bans on its beaches. Across the islands there are currently 41 smoke-free beaches. The municipality of Mogán introduced new rules, along with fines of up to €1800 for discarding cigarette butts on the sand and €450 for anyone caught smoking. These include Playa de Mogán, Anfi, Puerto Rico, Amadores, and Las Marañuelas in Arguineguin.
Murcia
Murcia currently has a total of 12 smoke-free beaches. These include El Rihuete, Playa de Bahía, Playa Reya, Nares and El Castellar in Mazarrón; Playa Villananitos in San Pedro del Pinatar; Playa del Pescador and the main beach in Santiago de la Ribera, Playa Mistral in La Manga, Playa de La Concha in Los Alcázares; la Cala de las Higuericas Águilas; and Playa La Chapineta in La Azohía.
Andalusia
There are now 48 beaches across Andalusia which have introduced the ban. These include Vera in Almería, Motril and Algarrobo, as well Playa de la Rada Estepona, Vélez-Málaga, Lagos, Mezquitilla, Caleta, Torre del Mar, Almayate, Valle Nizas and Benajarafe in the province of Málaga.
El Chorillo in Conil de la Frontera, El Palmar in Vejer also have smoking bans, as do the beaches in and around Tarifa including Playa Chica, Atlanterra, Valdevaqueros, Playa de los Lances and Bolonia.
Playita de Arroyomolinos in Zahara de la Sierra, Santa Bárbara in La Línea, El Carmen de Barbate and de Zahara de Atunes in the provincia de Cádiz have also banned smoking.
Asturias
Asturias designated smoke-free beaches for the first time in 2019 and now has 14 smoke-free beaches.
The list currently includes Playa de Misiego, El Puntal y Miami in Villaviciosa and Playa de Los Quebrantos in Soto del Barco.
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands have around 12 smoke-free beaches between the islands. On Mallorca you can enjoy the fresh air on Cala Estancia, Cala Anguila, Cala Deià, Colonia de Sant Pere, Cala Millor, Sant and Joan in Alcudia.
In Ibiza, smoke-free beaches include Playa de Santa Eulalia del Río and Playa de Talamanca, while in Menorca you can head to Binissafúller or Platja Gran. And finally on Formentera, there's Playa Es Pujols.
See Also
Barcelona recently announced that it will ban smoking on all of its 10 city beaches from July this year. This means there will be a total of five kilometres of smoke-free sand in Spain's second-largest city. Last year, Barcelona decided to ban smoking on four of its main beaches between May 29th and September 12th as a trial run, and this year has extended the ban all year round to all its beaches, due to the success.
Many in Barcelona have praised the move, while many others have taken to social media to express their anger at the rule.
As well as being horrible to find between your toes when sunbathing or when your kids are building a sandcastle, cigarette butts are harmful to the environment and marine life.
A discarded cigarette butt is made of over 97 percent cellulose acetate and contains 4,000+ chemical toxins.
But, discarded cigarette butts are just half the issue, the other problem is the smoke, which on Spain's crowded beaches can affect the health and well-being of many others around.
Barcelona is of course not the only Spanish city to have banned smoking on its public beaches. We take a look at which other beaches across the country have put a stop to it.
Catalonia
Besides the 10 beaches in Barcelona, many of Catalonia's beaches have banned smoking, all the way up to the Costa Brava. In fact, Catalonia became the first region to designate a 'smoke-free' beach when the town of L’Escala introduced the rule back in 2006. Since then, it has been extended to a total of 19 beaches in the region, these include Sant Feliu, Sant Pol, Canyerets in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Playa de Ocata in El Masnou, Playa de Sa Boadella, Canyelles, Treumal and Fenals in Lloret de Mar, and Playa de L'Escala.
The region of Galicia has the most smoke-free beaches in Spain, with a whopping 187 ocean and river beaches imposing the ban. These include 70 beaches in the province of A Coruña, 32 in Lugo, 12 in Ourense and 73 in Pontevedra.
Some of the most popular and well-known beaches that are free from tobacco include Santa Cristina in Oleiros, A Rapadoira in Foz, and Silgar in Sanxenxo.
Asturias designated smoke-free beaches for the first time in 2019 and now has 14 smoke-free beaches.
The list currently includes Playa de Misiego, El Puntal y Miami in Villaviciosa and Playa de Los Quebrantos in Soto del Barco.
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