A Week To Do Better With Rubbish
The European Waste Prevention Week organizes more than 11,000 actions that improve waste management and raise awareness of the problem.
Between November 17 and 25, 11,398 environmental cleaning actions will be carried out throughout Europe, the aim of which will be to sensitize as many people as possible about the importance of responsibly managing waste and natural resources. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people will participate in these actions, collecting more than 2,000 tons of waste.
These actions are the result of the call made by the European Week for Waste Prevention (EWWR), an idea launched 3 years ago by the European Commission. The best ones will be awarded at a ceremony that will take place in Brussels next year.
555 actions in Spain to improve waste management
In Spain, 555 actions will be carried out. The community of Asturias stands out with 130 actions and the Basque Country with 121. In Madrid 10 will be held and in the province of Barcelona, 3. You can consult the map of the actions and participate in one that is held near your place of residence.
The actions are organized by public administrations, private entities, schools, associations and organizations of civil society and even individual citizens.
Reduce toxic waste
This year its main objective is the prevention associated with hazardous waste. These wastes are a threat to human health and the environment. In addition to properly managing this type of waste, it is important that we reduce its consumption. It is time to reduce its presence in the bathrooms, kitchens and garages of our houses.
The ideas that inspire the actions of the European Week are the same that can motivate us in our daily decisions that have some relation to the waste we produce. They are reduce, reuse and recycle.
The “3 r’s” in the actions of the European Week
1. Reduce
This idea guides actions that raise awareness of the urgency of reducing the amount of garbage we produce and offer advice on how to avoid or reduce waste from the source. Some of these ideas are composting at home, warning that we do not want advertising in our mailboxes or consuming tap water instead of bottled water.
Also pursue consumer behavior by including sustainability in the aspects to consider when choosing a product. For example, choosing items that have an eco-label or that are sold in bulk rather than packaged.
2. Reuse
These actions remind participants that most products can have a second life. It can be repaired or donated rather than thrown away, for example. And you can also buy second hand or you can prefer products that are reusable or refillable.
3. Recycle.
Citizens can also improve what we do with garbage. In addition to putting it in the appropriate container, we can take the most dangerous products to the green points or clean points. We can also better understand how the recycling systems work, so we can trust them more. That is why the actions that take us to visit the recycling plants are interesting.
