Calpe Town Council and more than 146 local hospitality establishments will participate this summer in the sixth edition of Ecovidrio's #MovimientoBanderasVerdes (Green Flag Movement). With this campaign, the non-profit organisation responsible for managing glass packaging waste recycling in Spain seeks, once again, to recognise the efforts of the local hospitality industry and the activism of coastal municipalities in promoting circularity during the summer, particularly with regard to the correct management of their waste.
Calpe will compete with up to 47 municipalities in the Valencian Community for Ecovidrio's ‘Green Flag for Sustainability’, which was awarded to Valencia and Alicante during the last edition of this initiative. This is a campaign launched by Ecovidrio every summer, coinciding with the months when a third of the glass packaging in circulation is consumed. In addition, around 50% of single-use glass packaging waste generated during this period comes from the hospitality sector.
To be eligible for a Green Flag, each municipality must meet a series of requirements, such as increasing the volume of selective glass container collection compared to the previous year; ensuring that at least 50% of local hospitality establishments participate in the campaign; promoting the campaign among the hospitality industry; and publicising it among citizens and visitors.
As a new feature, apart from the coveted Green Flag, this year the municipalities in each autonomous community that have obtained the highest scores will be rewarded with a beach clean-up day, which Ecovidrio will carry out in collaboration with the organisation Paisaje Limpio, an entity specialising in the coordination of this type of environmental initiative.
Similarly, this year Ecovidrio will recognise the two hospitality establishments that are most responsible and committed to sustainability in the Valencian Community, evaluating their initiatives to improve waste recycling management, energy and water consumption and their commitment to sustainable purchasing, among other variables. In the Valencian Community, the two establishments recognised in the last edition were Petimetre and Cor de Carxofa.
With the aim of helping municipalities and participating hospitality establishments to separate glass packaging, Ecovidrio will install a total of 300 new containers and provide them with around 1,500 free containers for transporting their waste. As in previous editions, it will also provide hoteliers with training on the environment and the circular economy, with 100 environmental educators visiting all participating bars, beach bars and restaurants this summer.