Santa Pola has recovered 5,316 cubic metres of sand, equivalent to more than 5,000 tonnes, removed alongside posidonia wash-ups from its urban beaches. Councillor for Beaches and the Environment Ángel Piedecausa has said the sand is returned to its beach of origin after a four-stage sifting process that separates it from plant remains.

Municipal cleaning services carried out the recovery over the past year. The concessionaire Urbaser transports the collected material to a quarry, where it is stored separately according to its source. Around 74% of the recovered sand comes from the eastern beaches, particularly Varadero and Santiago Bernabeu, with the remaining 26% from the west.

The separation process removes coarse material first, then textile fibres from the posidonia, followed by finer residue, before producing completely clean sand. The sand is analysed and later redistributed to the beach where it was originally collected.

The council has also signed agreements with the University of Alicante and Mediterranean Algae to reuse posidonia waste in products such as cosmetics, substrates and construction panels. Piedecausa has stressed that posidonia is not dirt but a sign of a healthy seabed, helping to maintain water quality and clarity along the bay.