Between the 20th and 24th of November, the Municipality of Funchal joins the European Week for Waste Reduction, which aims to promote awareness actions on sustainable resources and waste management, creating greater environmental awareness among citizens.
The theme of the 2023 edition is ‘PACKAGING – Don’t let yourself get wrapped!’ A warning against the excessive use of packaging and changing habits, promoting the reuse of packaging, the adoption of more sustainable practices, and reduction of overpackaging.
The Councillor for the Environment, Nádia Coelho, says that “the use of packaging has facilitated, for example, the conservation and transport of food, the truth is that the amount of packaging that is produced and that turns into waste, has become an environmental problem.”
According to EU data, in 2020 Europe produced a total of 79.3 million tonnes of packaging waste, which corresponds to 177 kg per person. Packaging already accounts for 40% of plastics and 50% of paper used in the EU.
At a time when climate change is on the agenda, “it is important to remember that packaging contributes to soil and land pollution and accounts for about half of marine litter disposal and causes CO2 emissions, which are expected to reach 66 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
In this sense, specific topics such as the reuse of packaging will be addressed, not neglecting the more general themes of reducing waste production, recycling and composting, extremely important areas to prevent and avoid waste.
The councillor responsible for the Environment will be present in several of the initiatives that make up the Funchal City Council’s programme for this European Week for Waste Reduction.
Throughout the week and, as usual, several schools in the Municipality of Funchal will carry out study visits to the Urban Solid Waste Transfer and Sorting Station (ETTRSU) where they will have the opportunity to observe the equipment used and how it works.
During the week, certificates will be awarded to the participants in the Cleaning Campaign held on the 20th of October, ‘Clean Up The World – Clean Funchal from the Sea to the Mountains.’
This campaign resulted in a challenge of plastic expression in which schools, public and private institutions and users of the municipality’s services prepare an environmental awareness poster with some of the waste collected during the Cleaning Campaign. The exhibition of the works will be open to the public in the atrium of Funchal City Hall, between the 21st and 24th of November. On November 21st, prizes will be awarded to the winners and certificates of participation will be given to all volunteers in the Campaign.
Also on November 21st, the Green Flags for the 38/22 school year will be delivered to the 23 Eco-Schools of the Municipality of Funchal, followed by the delivery of prizes to the winners of the contest held under the campaign ‘Garbage on the Ground – NO!’. Both moments will be attended by the Councillor for the Environment, Nádia Coelho.
On November the 22nd, at 09:30, the ECO XXI Green Flag will be hoisted at Funchal City Hall. Between 10:30 a.m. and 13:00 p.m., compost will be delivered to the residents of the Viveiros, Ribeira Grande, Quinta Falcão I and Santo Amaro Housing Complexes.
On the same day, on Rua Fernão de Ornelas, there will be street entertainment by Teatro Bolo do Caco with the theme ‘PACKAGING – Don’t let yourself be wrapped.’
On the 23rd, the Creative Workshop ‘I reduce 0% giving new life to objects’ will take place in the Training Room of the Viveiros Building, promoted by the Association of Design, Art and Technology Teachers – ADARTEC, aimed at 1st cycle students in the Municipality of Funchal.
Finally, there is a blanket collection campaign for the animals of the Vasco Gil Municipal Kennel. This will take place during November and December and is part of the activities of the European Week for Waste Reduction.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
