Madrid (EFE) previous year, the Ecoembes organization reported on Tuesday.
On the other hand, more than twenty entities question Ecoembes’ accounting of containers recovered separately, in particular, and recycling figures in general, for which they have requested an “urgent meeting” with representatives of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
These data are known on the eve of World Recycling Day, which is celebrated on May 17, and, according to the non-profit organization, the figures mark the “entrenched trend towards the circular economy” and are reported to the Ministry of Transition Ecological and Demographic Challenge in reference to the recycling of plastic, metal, briks and paper and cardboard household containers.
By sectors and material, of the total 1.6 million tons subjected to reuse processes, 708,596 were plastic containers (4.7% more than in 2021); 666,344 corresponded to paper and cardboard (+4.5%), and 9,012 to wooden containers (+6.8%).
There was only a reduction in metal containers, which, with 243,360 tons, decreased 1.5% in relation to the previous year, according to a statement from the entity.
More than 20 entities see “irregularities” in Ecoembes’ recycling accounting
For the most part, they are the same organizations that have already denounced Spain before the European Commission for non-compliance with the “recycling objective and preparation for reuse of 50% in 2020”, and that are now requesting such a meeting to analyze this matter in depth.
There is increasingly “more evidence that the reality of recycling is much more deficient than what is disseminated to public opinion”, the organizations have indicated in a statement, which have presented a letter requesting an “urgent meeting” to the vice president and Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, and the Director of Quality and Environmental Assessment, Marta Gómez Palenque.
The organizations that signed the petition are: Acción Clima, Amigos de la Tierra, CEPA, Clean Ocean Project, Ecologists in Action, Estratégia Catalana Residu Zero (ECRZ), Eguzki Zaleak, Ekologistak Martxan, Federation of Associations of Residents of Barcelona (FAVB ), Federation of Ecologists of Catalonia, GOB Mallorca, Greenpeace, Gairors, Lurra Nafarroa, Mar de Fábula, Per la Mar Viva, Red Ecofeminista, Retorna, Rezero, Surfrider, Sustrai Erakuntza, Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) and Verdegaia.
As they indicate, their request is based on the articles made by the group of European journalists Investigate Europe and which have been published in Spain by Infolibre.
According to the organizations statement, the investigation focuses on waste management in Spain and “casts serious doubts about the veracity of the separate collection and recycling figures.”
In the opinion of the signatory organizations, “Ecoembes affirms that the selective collection of plastic bottles increases by 18.4% in municipalities with Reciclos” and, “given the absolute lack of control and rigor in the operation of said system, – they add- we once again call into question the veracity of their data, not only with respect to Recycles, but with respect to all the accounting on packaging waste”.
They have assured that the doubts about the Ecoembes data “are critical for the correct development of the Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils for a Circular Economy and the Royal Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste, especially to comply in a reliable and transparent manner with the measurement objective of separate collection of plastic bottles in 2023, which must exceed 70%”.