Orihuela’s Department of Street Cleaning, led by Dámaso Aparicio, has started an awareness campaign to reduce waste for the upcoming Christmas holidays, which is when almost a fifth of all the paper, cardboard and packaging that is discarded each year is generated.
Councilor Aparicio said: “This year the Street Cleaning Department is committed to reducing this waste. If we manage to generate less garbage, less waste, we will be contributing to the protection and care of our planet. It is a mistake to think that generating garbage is not problematic because then we recycle it. We already know that recycling is not enough and that we must try to modify our consumption and habits so that this waste is not even generated.
“Christmas is a time of lots of shopping and, therefore, an ideal time to try to be more sustainable. The best waste is the waste that is not generated.”
With this in mind, the Department of Street Cleaning has shared some tips to reduce waste during the winter festivities:
1. Do not use plastic “tableware” as it takes hundreds of years to degrade. It is much more sustainable to use the dishes that we can wash, and to avoid generating waste that will be around longer than we are.
2. Finding reusable packaging in supermarkets is almost an impossible mission. In craft shops or markets it is much easier to find them. Also making your purchases at local shops will reduce the need for useless boxes and packaging.
3. Avoid wrapping gifts, as we end up with meters and meters of paper that later cannot be reused. Instead replace wrapping paper with reusable bags as they are just as decorative and it is a much more sustainable option.
The figures obtained in recent years on waste and recycling are reinforced by the different campaigns and awareness-raising actions that the Department has been carrying out and, although the data is very positive, it can always be improved upon.
To achieve better results it is necessary for people to reduce their waste consumption. Reuse items as much as possible and when this is no longer possible, recycle it. In addition to the environmental benefits, these actions will undoubtedly lead to greater savings for the municipal coffers as the council receives an income from this type of waste instead of having to pay for its treatment and landfill disposal.