Untreated Guadalquivir Pollution Causes Waste Islands
This is the horrifying ecological cost of the careless disposal of baby wipes and other trash flushed down the toilet.
An entire island made up of sediment, wet wipes and non-biodegradable rubbish has formed its own island in a once pristine waterway in Spain.
Images show the grim island in the Guadalquivir river in Cordoba, Spain, the country’s second-longest river.
The environmental damage- caused by people flushing the trash down lavatories – has left birds trapped on the wet wipe island for weeks, their beaks caught in the detritus.
Locals have reportedly spent years trying to raise awareness of the negative effects of flushing wet wipes down the loo.
But activist Pepe Larios has revealed that the trashberg is only increasing in size.
He said: “Who had the idea of leaving an island of wipes at the foot of the Torre de la Calahorra? Was it intended to boycott the image of our city?”
The Torre de la Calahorra, also known as the Calahorra tower, is a fortified gate in the historic centre of Cordoba.
Local media reported that the area was cleaned just one year ago, but the local authorities declined to touch the island because it already had a lot of vegetation growing on it.
The local authorities have now reportedly said that they plan to remove the waste island but they are waiting for the river flow to drop.