The Waste and Energy Consortium of Menorca and Ecovidrio launch a new edition of the Green Flags Movement campaign, the initiative that aims to reward the commitment of hospitality establishments to glass recycling and circular economy during the summer months.
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Campaign to recycle
A total of 353 catering establishments in Menorca have joined the initiative this year and sought to jointly increase the levels of separate collections of glass last year. The island will compete with 28 other municipalities throughout the Balearic Islands for the Green Flag of Ecovidrio, the award to the participant most committed to glass recycling, and that last year was awarded to the Ibizan municipality of Sant Antony de Portmany.
The campaign was presented today in Cala Galdana by the island director of Environment, Mateu Ainsa, accompanied by the director of the hotel Artiem Audax, Javier Martinez, the director of the hotel Comitas Floramar, Alba Lledó, the director of the hotel Minura Cala Galdana, Javier Moreno.
To do this, they will be accompanied by Ecovidrio staff, which throughout the summer visits and surveys in establishments in the HORECA sector (hotels, restaurants and cafes) to detect the needs of each local, ensure the provision of means for recycling, report on the regulations and encourage good practices. The campaign will also seek to raise public awareness of the importance of recycling and the separation and separate collection of glass containers.
II Barometer on the sustainability of the hospitality industry on our shores
In this new edition, Ecovidrio will carry out the second barometer on sustainability in our coasts, with the aim of analyzing the presence of sustainability measures in the HORECA sector through surveys on four areas: efficient waste management, energy efficiency, responsible consumption and water consumption. At the end of the season, Ecovidrio will award the most sustainable Balearic establishment in its activity.
Green Flags, hotel and catering industry and local entities for green recovery
Green Flags is unique in that it involves both local entities and restaurants, bars and catering outlets in general. This is one of the key initiatives of Ecovidrio in alliance with the hospitality sector, which is developed in more than 140 coastal municipalities in five different autonomous communities and has the participation of 15,000 hospitality establishments.
The recycling of glass containers in Menorca
Summer is a key period in Menorca due to the incidence of tourism and increased consumption. During this period is recycled on the island a third of all waste is recovered annually. In addition, hotels, restaurants and cafes are major generators of glass waste during the summer and, therefore, become a key sector for the transition to a circular economy model.
In 2022, the citizens of Menorca recycled 3,904 tons of glass containers, 20% more than in 2021 and the best figure in history on the island. Based on this figure, each Menorcan would have recycled 40.4 kg of glass in a year.
As for the provision of containers on the island, in 2022 there were 538 separate collection containers, 2.7% more than in 2021. In Menorca, there is 1 glass recycling container for every 179 inhabitants. The state average stands at 1 per 197 inhabitants according to data from 2022. In total, there are 5,514 glass containers in the Balearic Islands.