With personalised visits from environmental educators

Fuenlabrada City Council, through the Department of Sustainability, Environment and Public Spaces, is running an intensive campaign to promote the recycling of glass containers in 840 hospitality establishments across the city. Through personalised visits, businesses are reminded of the obligation to separate glass packaging, in line with the requirements of the Municipal By-law.

In the first phase, a team of environmental educators carried out surveys and interviews with 547 hospitality establishments to identify their needs and adapt existing resources accordingly. In addition, they have been provided with detailed information on how to recycle correctly and on the social, economic and environmental benefits of recycling glass packaging.

Furthermore, as part of the EcoVares strategic plan and with the aim of facilitating glass recycling within the HoReCa sector (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering), Ecovidrio has provided, free of charge to the hospitality sector, specially adapted wheeled bins to facilitate the transport of glass waste.

Following the completion of this stage of the campaign in Fuenlabrada, 79 per cent of the hospitality establishments visited are now recycling their glass packaging correctly, representing a total of 432 premises participating in the separation of this waste. The initiative will continue with the launch of a second phase, in which the City Council will continue to work towards achieving 100% recycling in the sector.

The hospitality sector generates approximately 50 per cent of single-use glass packaging, so the adoption of sustainable practices in the sector represents a significant improvement in the fight against climate change and for the health of the city.

According to the latest available data for 2025, the residents of Fuenlabrada deposited a total of 1,911 tonnes of glass packaging in the green bins, an average of 10 kg per inhabitant. Our municipality has 544 green bins, one for every 349 residents.

The glass deposited in the bins is 100 per cent recycled and used to manufacture new containers that retain their original properties. This avoids the extraction of raw materials from nature, whilst also minimising CO₂ emissions during the manufacturing process and saving energy.