CARTAGENA / Ciudadanos proposes to reward the recycling of containers with discount vouchers for local businesses

The orange spokesman, Manuel Padín, defends that this method would promote recycling among neighbors and, in addition, «would help to encourage local trade and improve the brand image of business partners»

Manuel Padín today congratulated the City Council for carrying out a campaign, along with Ecoembes, to promote recycling in the beach bars but says that «the mother of the lamb is in the municipal dump; if we do not already establish an investment plan (with municipal, regional and European funds) to modernize the facilities, we will continue to be well below the level of recycling required by Europe; they ask us for 50% by 2020 and we only reach 15%. «

Citizens Cartagena will take a step further in favor of the environment by proposing the installation of two packaging recycling machines that offer incentives in the form of discount vouchers to those who use them.

Spain is one of the countries that consumes the most per capita in Europe, so «it is necessary to make the population aware of the importance of recycling and involve them in this practice through innovative methods such as reverse vending or selective collection» , defends the spokesman of Cs Cartagena, Manuel Padín.

In other municipalities of the Region, such as Fuente Álamo, the Cs colleagues have managed to install two recycling machines for containers in centric points and moved by the neighbors. «In Cartagena there are currently two of these machines but they respond to a private initiative. From Cs we think that the City Council should join this method of recycling to extend its reach among Cartagena in different parts of the city, «says Manuel Padín.

The reverse vending or selective collection consists of machines that, in exchange for plastic, metal or bricks, the person who deposits them gets incentives such as discount vouchers to spend at collaborating businesses in the municipality. «This method, therefore, in addition to contributing to the protection of the environment, would also help to encourage local trade and improve the brand image of collaborating businesses», says Manuel Padín who insists that «it is about stimulating the recycling and separation at source rewarding this action with savings in purchases, direct gifts, raffles, or any other type of incentive that encourages citizens to make more effort in a necessary task «. In any case, Cs clarifies that for the time being it sees this as a complementary action to the current integrated management system.

Orange training advocates that institutions should promote initiatives that seek to care for and protect the environment, so will urge the local government soon to install two of these machines for selective collection of containers at strategic points of the city charged to the items linked to the budget environment. If the implementation of this method were successful, Cs Cartagena would propose the installation of more machines within the municipality.

The orange formation offers its help to the local Executive to launch this initiative, if it is finally approved by the Municipal Plenary. «According to what we have been able to find out, these selective collection machines can be programmed to offer different incentives in exchange for the packaging. This opens a range of possibilities to study how to attract as many neighbors as possible towards recycling, «says Manuel Padín.

«According to experts, in Spain 3,500 million plastic bottles are consumed per year, so the implementation of these methods can be key to achieving sustainability. Many Spanish cities have already begun to benefit from this system and we believe that Cartagena can not be left behind, «says the orange spokesman.

The mother of the lamb

Manuel Padín today congratulated the City Council for carrying out a campaign, along with Ecoembes, to promote recycling in the beach bars but says that «the mother of the lamb is in the municipal dump; if we do not already establish an investment plan (with municipal, regional and European funds) to modernize the facilities, we will continue to be well below the level of recycling required by Europe; they ask us for 50% by 2020 and we are only 15% «.