The Errenteria City Council, as part of its commitment to the separate collection of domestic and commercial waste, has launched a new public information and environmental awareness campaign aimed at optimizing the municipal system for selective collection and raw material recovery.
This initiative takes advantage of the upcoming replacement of all brown bins with more usable and accessible ones, along with the installation of new generation locks. This communication campaign has been developed in collaboration with various municipal groups, including the Environmental Advisory Council and the Waste Management Committee. The aim is to reduce the impact of waste management on the local economy, public health, environment, and climate change.
Since the implementation of the new waste consortium tariff this year, the treatment cost for organic waste (BIO) is €99/tonne, while residual waste treatment costs €231/tonne. This means that better waste separation leads to lower treatment costs. If Errenteria were to achieve the same separation rate as Urnieta, the municipality could save approximately €300,000 on its treatment bill.
The campaign seeks to reach as many citizens as possible with a clear and effective message to increase resident involvement and commitment to selective collection and recycling of urban waste. To achieve this, environmental educators will visit around 5,000 households to clarify doubts about the current waste sorting and recycling system and to explain the reasons for separating organic matter and depositing it correctly. Visits will also be made to 100 local businesses.
Additionally, fixed and mobile information points will be set up. At the ZU! Citizen Attention Service points, personalized assistance will be provided to resolve queries and highlight the benefits of quality selective collection, with the option to print cards for accessing the organic waste bins. Fixed points will be at the Town Hall from November 16th to December 4th, and in Aldakonea from December 9th to 15th. Mobile information points will also be available in various neighborhoods: Fanderia (Nov 17th), Galtzaraborda (Nov 18th), Agustinas (Nov 24th), Iztieta-Ondartxo (Nov 25th), Kaputxinos (Dec 1st), Olibet-Etxe Berriak (Dec 2nd), and Alaberga (Dec 9th).
As part of the campaign, in addition to information posters in all building entrances, updated Errenteria recycling guides will be distributed. Furthermore, a pilot program will involve closing the residual waste bins in the Lartzabal neighborhood to measure the effectiveness of such a measure in a specific geographical area under controlled conditions.
The council emphasizes that "building a cleaner, more sustainable, and healthier Errenteria is a collective responsibility. Every small daily action has a significant impact. Together, we will take new steps to generate less waste, recycle more, and protect the future of our municipality."
