The beaches of Bizkaia constantly improve
2006/07/01 Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
Regarding the quality of the beaches, we focus mainly on the quality, surveillance, security, accessibility and cleanliness of the facilities of the beaches.
However, to take care of them and make the beach look good -- and better year after year -- the job is all year round. In recent years it has worked intensively on the beaches of Bizkaia.
The ISO 9001 (quality management) and 14001 (environmental management) certification process on the beaches of Bizkaia began in June 2001. The introduction of the ISO 9001 and 14001 standards of beach valuation has led to a breakthrough in the continuous improvement of services on the coast, according to the director of the Department of Environment of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. These standards guarantee the continuous improvement of the facilities, the good condition of water and sand, good services, the correct management of waste, etc.
Commitment to the environment
From an environmental point of view, for example, the need to reduce electricity and water consumption on beaches was first detected. To do this, they promoted the use of renewable energy on some beaches of the Biscayan coast, such as the use of solar panels for the electric supply of PA.
Water consumption reducers were also installed in the bathrooms. Thanks to them, less water comes out, but the citizen barely perceives changes. Reducers were installed on all the Biscayan beaches, and the showers on the beaches of Sopelana were also tested, although experimental. However, the results were good and have already been implemented on the beaches of Arena and Bakio.
Cleaning the beaches is also essential. The beaches of Bizkaia are cleaned throughout the year and in summer cleaning is intensified. But that's not enough. It should be taken into account not only the collection of waste, but also the management thereof, according to the director of the Department of Environment of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
On the one hand, informative campaigns are carried out to reduce waste and on the other, they have been installed on the beaches bins of different colors for the correct recycling of waste. To separate organic waste from plastics. On the other hand, we must take into account the waste of the sea, especially the boards. These tables that appear on the coast are collected and transported to recycling.
Quality service
The main objective of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia is to offer a quality service that allows us to use and enjoy the beaches in conditions of accessibility, safety, comfort and hygiene. In this sense, it is intended to facilitate access to beaches to all people, and especially those with reduced mobility.
They work according to the ISO 9001 certification management system. All people working in this management system must be clear and know the goals set. Organization, coordination and communication among all is also essential. In addition, the actions taken must be reviewed periodically to correct possible errors and improve the management system itself.
Currently, for example, the Department of Health of the Basque Government conducts biweekly analytical analyses of water on Basque beaches. Suppose a spill has occurred at any given time and the bathroom has been banned. In this case you will try to locate the cause of the spill and act to solve it. According to the director of the Department of Environment, this does not mean, in any case, that the beach loses certification, as long as measures are taken to solve the problem.
The beaches of La Arena, Bakio, Laida, Laga and Karraspio were the first to obtain these two certifications --ISO 9001 and 14001--, to which the beach of Arrietara-Atxabiribil of Sopelana was added in 2005. This summer they have been picked up by the beaches of Ogella de Ispaster and Isuntza de Lekeitio.
Therefore, currently eight beaches have this system. In addition, it is expected that gradually the rest of the beaches of Bizkaia incorporate this management system. To date, the improvements introduced by this system have been applied in 29 beaches of Bizkaia.
