Murcia has once again turned its gaze to the Segura River and rolled up its sleeves to care for it. The fifth edition of the Clean River Challenge of Murcia It has been confirmed that protecting the riverbed has become a regular activity for hundreds of residents who readily dedicate a Saturday morning to collecting waste and leaving the riverbank a little better than they found it.
Coinciding with World Recycling Day weekend, the Murcia City Council and PreZero They have launched a new environmental volunteer day that combines cleaning, education, and community building. The result has been doubly positive: less trash collected than in previous years and a steadily growing level of participation, with nearly 1.700 people mobilized in defense of the Segura River.
Date, location and how the Clean River Challenge is organized
The fifth edition of the Clean River Challenge has been held Saturday May 16Taking advantage of the symbolic importance of World Recycling Day, the activity began at 09:30 a.m. Red Cross Square, which has become a central hub for volunteering and the space where participants gather before going down to the riverbanks.
From this meeting point, guided groups were organized to work on different sections of the Segura River and its surroundings, both on land and from the riverbed itself. Throughout the morning, the teams covered approximately eight kilometers of riverbank, from the Four Stones garden to the La Fica grounds, also covering areas such as the Malecón and areas near the Manterola footbridge.
The registrations, of a FreeThey have been processed through the municipal website murciaciudadsostenible.eswhere all the information for the day is centralized. The organizers have emphasized the need to register in advance, given that the event coincides with a weekend of high numbers of environmental initiatives in the city.
The deputy mayor and councillor for Development and Heritage, Rebecca PerezTogether with the Councillor for Urban Development and Smart City, José Guillén, the Councillor for Young Talent and Public Spaces, SofÃa López-Briones, the Director of PreZero in Murcia, José Manuel GarcÃa Alcaraz, and the Regional Secretary for Energy, Sustainability and Climate Action, Mari Cruz Ferreira, were in charge of presenting the event and highlighting its character as a collective action in defense of the Segura River.
Environmental objective: less waste in the Segura River
The Clean River Challenge was launched in 2018 with the intention of tackling a very specific problem: the constant presence of waste on the banks of the river. Segura River as it passes through MurciaSince then, this volunteer initiative has made it possible to remove nearly 13.000 kilos of garbage of the environment, including such striking objects as bathtubs, mattresses, tires or small appliances.
In the most recent edition, the total amount collected has reached 2.870 kilos of wasteThis is the lowest figure since the campaign began. The decrease is significant when compared to the more than 4.300 kilos recorded in 2024 or the 3.200 kilos in 2025. For the City Council and PreZero, this trend reflects not only the work done on a single day, but a change in habits that is gradually taking hold among the population.
Despite the improvement, the fragments of plastic and cigarette butts Cigarette butts continue to top the list of waste found both along riverbanks and in areas near recreational spaces. Those in charge of the operation remind us that cigarette butts can contaminate tens of liters of water and take more than a decade to decompose, making them one of the silent enemies of the river ecosystem.
The acting mayor of Murcia, Rebeca Pérez, has stressed that the lower figure for waste does not mean the problem has disappeared, but it does show signs of improvement. greater respect for the natural environmentIn his opinion, "the best statistic is not only having removed fewer kilos, but seeing that less and less trash is reaching the riverbed thanks to collective responsibility."
The director of PreZero in Murcia, José Manuel GarcÃa Alcaraz, has emphasized that the event is not limited to collecting bags of trash. As he explained, the Clean River Challenge aims to promote a real circular economy, in which waste is properly separated and then integrated into recycling chains, taking advantage of the mobile Ecopoint and the sorting systems that are deployed during the event.
Mass volunteering and team organization
One of the most striking aspects of the Clean River Challenge is the public response. In this fifth edition, nearly [number missing] people participated. 1.700 volunteers, among whom are schoolchildren, families, scout groups, associations, individual residents and members of the municipal corporation itself.
The participants have organized themselves into slightly more than 40 cleaning groupsEach area has a designated person who has been previously trained in environmental issues, recycling, and team coordination. This person is responsible for assigning work zones, ensuring safety, and recording the type and volume of waste collected—data that later allows the organization to analyze trends and adjust future campaigns.
To make the task easier, each person has received a complete "volunteer kit" The kit includes a cap, backpack, protective gloves, waste bags, and a reusable water bottle. The municipal water company has installed refill stations to ensure everyone has access to water during the route, while also reducing the use of single-use containers.
The cleanup has been carried out simultaneously on both banks of the Segura River and also in the riverbed itself, taking advantage of the collaboration of the well-known "Uncle of the Boat"which has provided the operation with a dozen traditional boats. Thanks to these boats, the teams have been able to access areas difficult to reach from land, removing plastics, cans, and other waste trapped in vegetation or in backwaters of the river.
Among the attendees were familiar faces and veteran participants who have taken part in several editions, including some locals who have made the challenge an annual tradition. For many, it's both an environmental activity and a way to... show the children the importance of not leaving trash in the countryside, reinforcing environmental education from an early age.
Most affected areas and perception from the ground
As the groups have progressed along the riverbank, some feelings that were already present in previous editions have been confirmed. Although much of the Segura's banks look better maintained than in previous years, there are specific sections with a higher concentration of wasteespecially in areas of daily transit or leisure.
Volunteers who have been joining the challenge for several years point especially to the area of Malecón and some nearby park-and-ride facilities, where remnants of packaging, syringes, and other more problematic waste appear. These are areas where human pressure is constant and where the lack of sufficient trash cans or containers is most noticeable, according to some monitors and regular participants.
Other points identified as problematic are located beyond the audience And near certain pedestrian access points, small pieces of everyday litter accumulate: wrappers, bottles, cigarette butts, and food scraps. Several groups feel that the riverbank is cleaner than it was a few years ago, but that the surrounding urban areas still suffer from bad habits.
Among the proposals that the volunteers themselves have been sharing during the day, ideas such as installing more containers and bins In areas with higher foot traffic, reinforce surveillance in the most problematic spots or study the placement of cameras in certain places to discourage uncivil behavior, especially in areas where dangerous remains have been detected.
As the teams moved along the margins, vehicles from the cleaning company PreZero collected the full bags and transported them to the Plaza de la Cruz Roja (Red Cross Square). A specific system with separate containers has been set up there to allow for a... proper recycling of the waste and accurately quantify the total volume removed in this edition.
From the cleanup effort to the community celebration
The morning wasn't just about working with gloves and bags. Starting at 13:00hThe Plaza de la Cruz Roja has been transformed into a space for coexistence where participants have been able to rest, eat and continue learning about sustainability through activities designed for all ages.
As a closing activity for the day, a giant paella For attendees, there was a free tasting. Thanks to the collaboration of Estrella de Levante, adults were also able to enjoy beer, while the little ones found their place in play areas and sports activities with options like hockey or basketball.
The family aspect has been one of the hallmarks of this Clean River Challenge. Alongside the meal, other activities have taken place. reuse workshopsEducational activities on recycling and proposals to introduce the circular economy into daily life, both at home and in schools.
The children have played a special role thanks to the presence of Drilo's Gangwhich has enlivened a children's theater performance with messages about environmental care. In addition, an eco-friendly graffiti photo booth has been installed, serving as a backdrop for photographs and as a creative resource for discussing nature and responsible consumption.
In other nearby locations, such as the Chinese Garden, environmental awareness activities have also been organized for schoolchildren and families. All of this has reinforced the idea that the challenge is not just a one-off cleanup, but a... major awareness day which transforms the river into an open classroom and at the same time a place for citizens to meet.
Amidst live music and informal conversation, many participants agreed that seeing the riverbed cleaner than on previous occasions encouraged them to return. The image of the TÃo de la Barca boats removing waste, combined with children and adults sharing a table and participating in activities, encapsulates the spirit of an initiative that blends work, education, and a festive atmosphere.
With this fifth edition of the Clean River Challenge, Murcia consolidates a reference environmental action which has managed to progressively reduce the amount of litter in the Segura River and, above all, to directly involve the public. The reduction in collected waste, the continued increase in volunteers, and the participation of schools, associations, and businesses demonstrate that caring for the river is becoming part of the city's daily life, supported by a public-private partnership committed to the circular economy and a vision of a cleaner, more sustainable Murcia.