Soltalk February 2020 | Page 23

News Rincón is a wipes pioneer Rincón de la Victoria is to become a pioneer in the fight against discarded baby wipes which have been responsible for blocking drains in many towns and cities, resulting in an estimated annual cost for clearing them of €200 million. Last month, the town presented its plan to tackle the problem using artificial intelligence. Mayor Francisco Salado and Environment Councillor Sergio Díaz gave details of how cameras will detect the accumulation of solid waste in the network of pipes. The project, named iONWipes, is intended to improve sanitation and optimise pumping stations. It will also have a research and development role in monitoring the effects which rainfall and seasonal factors have on the flow of waste water. However, Mayor Salado stressed the need to make the public aware of the requirement to dispose of these wipes in the correct way, “not only to avoid negative economic consequences for municipal coffers, but to protect the environment.” Some 717 metric tons of waste are collected in the Axarquía’s treatment plants annually, of which 370 tons was used wipes, according to Sergio Diaz, president of the Association of Axarquía municipalities. He added that this increases the costs of collecting and handling rubbish, and called for the region to become a leader in the recycling and sanitation of its water cycle. New cream whisky from Málaga A new cream whisky made exclusively with the milk of Málaga goats has been launched on the drinks market. The product, named Amaltis, was launched commercially at a food fair in Málaga last month and 2,000 bottles have already been distributed. The initiative originated at the Agricultural Development Park north of Vélez-Málaga where Gin Alborán has developed the cream whisky in conjunction with a businessman from nearby Casabermeja. Reports say that the drink has a very strong taste of goats milk and can be drunk cold with ice or mixed with hot coffee. Cream whisky is more usually made with cows’ milk. Gin Alborán was formed four years ago and produced the first 100 per cent Málaga gin made in its distillery last year. It comes in four varieties - citrus, exotic, classic and strawberry – retailing at around €14 per bottle, and around 10,000 bottles have already been sold, 40 per cent of which went to the UK and Germany. The new cream whisky is made entirely with goat’s milk from Casabermeja, although details of its production are a secret. Banderas’ first The goats from which the milk comes belong to a breed which is unique to the province of Málaga, and of which there are around 300,000 animals producing 80 million litres of milk and some 300,000 kilos of meat a year. Pricey Province Second-hand car prices in the province of Málaga are the highest in Andalucía, according to new figures. The average price during 2019 was €16,715, compared with €13,914 in Granada which was the cheapest of the eight provinces in the region. Over 426,000 vehicles changed hands in Andalucía last year of which 70% were diesel, 29% were petrol and 58% were more than ten years old. Flamenco father A video of a Málaga priest dancing during mass has been watched by almost half a million people on the Internet. Father José Palmas’ performance was recorded at the city’s Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles church where he was accompanied by a local Málaga choir. Father José says his grandfather was a gypsy and dancing, especially flamenco, has always been natural in the family. 21 Málaga-born Antonio Banderas has been nominated for the 2019 Best Actor Oscar – the first nomination of his career - for his performance in Dolor y Gloria (Pain and Glory). The movie, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, has also been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category and has already won awards for Banderas and for Best Soundtrack at the Cannes Film Festival. The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on February 9. Fewer trees The province of Málaga has 28 trees per head of population, one of the lowest figure in Spain according to government figures. Spain has an estimated 4,525 million trees at least three metres tall and trunk diameter at least seven centimetres, and the highest tree-to-people ratios can be found in Lleida, Girona, Barcelona and Navarra. ly Sevilla, Cádiz, Valladolid, Alicante and Las Palmas have a lower ratio than Málaga. Work continues The work underway last month in Nerja’s calles Castilla Pérez, Jaén and Diputación was part of the final stages in the construction of the town’s new sewerage system. Meanwhile, work continued at the eastern end of Burriana beach where a pumping station will send the town’s waste water up to the treatment plant on the road to Maro. No driver Málaga’s first driverless bus is likely to start trials later this year, ferrying cruise liner passengers between the docks and the city centre. The 12- metre-long, 60-seater electric vehicle is to be operated by Grupo Avanza who say it will use ordinary roads alongside other traffic. It is reported to be Spain’s first autonomous local bus service.