Plastic-free Galápagos: environmental protection & diving

Initiative: Galápagos free of microplastics

An initiative that has been running on the island of San Cristobal since 2017 is campaigning against plastic waste, in particular the pollution of the coasts with microplastics. One focus of this is to collect and recycle plastic waste. The entire initiative is part of a larger environmental protection campaign among the population and especially in schools. The aim is to involve children and young people in the project by getting them to collect rubbish and recycle it.

Collecting plastic

Cleaning the coast is one of the main tasks as a volunteer. You go out with a team and collect plastic waste on the beach, in shallow water and sometimes also in the interior of the island. Afterwards, you sort the garbage and evaluate the amount of microplastics.

On request: diving trips

To remove the plastic from the water, you can support the project with dives. To do this, you have the opportunity to get a diving license on the mainland before the project begins. Diving is optional and available for an additional charge.

Work with schools

In addition to the beach activities, you and your team go to schools to make recycled items out of the rubbish. This takes place in a broader context of environmental education: you work with the children on measures to reforest the island and you can give them swimming lessons so that they themselves are able to collect plastic from the beaches.