Training for Circular Economy in the Construction and Furniture Sectors
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    • Recycle is our business

    August, 2018

    The Basque Country aims to recycle 70% of waste in households by promoting the principles of the circular economy.

    Published in “Construible”: 08/06/2018


    The Basque Government and the Provincial Councils have joined forces for the “Recycle is our business” campaign, which will start on 20 August on 14 beaches and towns in the three territories and will reach around thirty municipalities by November.
    This is the first joint campaign of the Basque Government and the Provincial Councils in the field of waste prevention and management.
    The objective is to recycle 60% of the packaging and 70% of the total waste generated before 2030, thus complying with the rates set in this area by the European Union.

    Recycling is our business
    This is the first joint campaign of the Basque Government and the Provincial Councils in the field of waste prevention and management, with the collaboration of the two main integrated waste management companies: Ecoembes and Ecovidrio.
    The Minister for the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing of the Basque Government, Iñaki Arriola; the Deputy for the Environment and Urban Planning of the Provincial Council of Araba, Josean Galera, the Deputy for Sustainability and the Natural Environment of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Elena Unzueta, and the Deputy for the Environment and Hydraulic Works of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, José Ignacio Asensio, recently presented the Recycling is our business; an initiative that seeks to raise public awareness and involve citizens in the processes of the circular economy, through responsible consumption and greater and better recycling of the waste they generate.

    Pilot experiences
    The campaign was launched last year in five pilot locations and, with the participation of the Provincial Councils, has become the first joint campaign of its kind to be promoted by Basque institutions, with the support of the two main waste management bodies: Ecovidrio, in the glass packaging fraction, and Ecoembes, in the carton, plastic, brick and metal packaging sector.
    Recycling is our Business will travel through the Basque Country with a large travelling tent. It will have an exhibition area, a recreational area and an outdoor activity, all of which will have a markedly participative and interactive character to reach the public with a dual purpose: how to recycle more and how to recycle better.

    Waste in the Basque Country
    Euskadi’s objective for 2030 is to reduce by 10% the total amount of waste generated and to recycle 70% of it, thanks to a correct separation. It also aims to recycle 60% of packaging.
    Achieving these rates has direct benefits not only in the environment or in improving air quality, but also in job creation: the waste management and treatment sector employs 5,700 people in the Basque Country.