Funchal, the capital of Portugal’s Madeira archipelago, was declared the world’s first “plastic-free ocean” city in March, banning the sale of single-use plastic products and investing 20 million euros in a marine waste recycling facility. The program aims to protect long-finned pilot whales in nearby waters, whose mortality rate from accidental consumption of plastic trash has been reduced from 12 percent in 2019 to 4 percent in 2024.
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