Around 650 tons of rubbish, including dumped cars, washing machines and furniture, was collected by four thousand volunteers on May 14 from the Algarve’s forests, in recognition of Dia National dos Caçadores pelo Ambiente (national day of hunters for the environment) and was supported by the Federação do Caçadores do Algarve (FCA). Thanks to the monies raised from the recycled waste, 16 wheel chairs were bought for the community.
Hunters from 132 clubs around the Algarve, as well as local residents and staff from parish council offices, participated in the clean-up in a bid to preserve the environment. The president of the FCA, Vítor Palmilha, was satisfied with the amount of garbage removed, despite last year’s amount of 800 tons because “a lot of the abandoned waste this year is flammable”, and could have caused a real problem in respect of forest fires.
The presidents of Faro and São Brás Câmaras were joined by the civil governor, António Pina, who was “sadly shocked by so much mess”. The authorities are at a loss to understand why people chose not to use the free service of waste collection provided by the câmaras. “Only a lack of education can account for this sorry state.”
