35 million people are buried, burned and missing every day in Spain. cans, bottles and bricksPolluting the environment and posing a health risk. Dozens of non-governmental organizations have expressed concern about what they describe as the situation. “Inaction” of the Spanish Government To solve this problem.
At the end of this December, it will be one year since approval. Royal Packaging DecreeA new regulatory framework has won praise from environmentalists by including ambitious Targets for prevention, reuse, separate collection and recycling of cans, bottles and bricksS.
However, 365 days later, a large group of civil associations declared both this text and Waste LawThe laws approved by the Parliament in April 2022 are on the way to becoming obsolete and They demand that the new Government of Pedro Sánchez “step away from inaction and ensure the strict and transparent implementation of the measures already enacted.”“.
Return the packaging to the supermarket
In line with this precise goal, 74 organizations from all over Spain presented a presentation. joint manifesto Requesting the new Sánchez Executive to fully develop the Waste Law and the Royal Packaging Decree, so that reuse and Return of cans, bottles and cartons in stores and supermarkets “will happen in Spain as soon as possible”.
This group of organizations demands compliance with reuse goals and the emergence of new technologies. Return and refund deposit system for cans, bottles and cartons, in the image and likeness of the app, which already works in many European countries and is expected to be implemented in 15 more states within the next two years. “With this application, over 90% of these containers can be reused or turned into new cans, bottles or beverage cartons.“, details the document.
Lack of efficiency and transparency
Despite the evidence presented by signatory associations, social and environmental organisations, experts and public administrations themselves, Lack of efficiency and transparency in the current management of packaging wasteCurrently, “neither the autonomous communities nor the provincial government are taking the necessary steps to implement the measures contained in the Packaging Law and the Royal Decree.”
Organizations, first of all, reuse targets And Separate collection of 70% of plastic beverage bottles under three liters by 2023. A goal that, if not met, would mean automatic return.helmet return‘ in spain.
This measurement year is coming to an end, and so far the institutions state that it is not even known whether the autonomous communities count the collected plastic beverage bottles separately or according to what methodology. where manufacturers provide information on the bottles they put on the market, or the control measures established by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge to ensure impartiality and transparency of the process.
“A deposit system is the only way to ensure that manufacturers, supermarkets and packaging collection box managers take 100% responsibility for all drinks cans, bottles and cartons.ensure they are fully reused or recycled, and stop the 35 million drinks cans being buried, burned or lost every day as they currently do,” the manifesto’s supporters reason.
This deposit system will be mandatory for all member states of the European Union (EU) as of January 1, 2028, in accordance with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
‘Zero waste philosophy’
The European Community (EC) proposal states that the common deposit system will be for single-use plastic bottles and metal containers of up to three litres, while States can also add single-use glass bottles as long as they are sure they can meet this requirement. There are alternatives of the same type in reusable glass bottles.
From decades of work Fighting contamination of disposable beverage containersThe 74 organizations that signed the document demand that the Sánchez Administration ensure “compliance with reuse objectives” and ensure “compliance with reuse objectives.” The commercial return of packaging as a paradigm of the clean circular economy A project that creates green jobs and promotes a more sustainable and equitable society where the health of people and the rest of the species is protected.
According to data published by Ecoembes, In 2022, a total of 1,627,313 tons of plastic containers, cans, cardboard, paper and cardboard were sent to recycling facilities.This figure was 3.6% more than the previous year.
More than 1.2 million tons of the total recycled packaging came from the packaging that citizens sorted in yellow and blue containers on the street and in colorful bins installed in places where the public is densely populated. However, those who signed the document believe this is not enough and that one more step must be taken to prevent further progress. In Spain, we bury, burn and lose the aforementioned 35 million cans, bottles and bricks every day.
Organizations and individuals who signed this manifesto ‘zero waste philosophy‘, according to waste preventionYes conscious consumptionHE right to compensationn, use of reusable containersHE quality recycling wave efficient management of organic matteramong other measures.
Manifesto link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C0-y-N9IrL-dxpv-hYDov1gWIQExOcsZ/edit
………….
Contact address of the environmental department:[email protected]