📌 More than 250 restaurants and cafes in Alicante are participating in the #MovimientoBanderasVerdes initiative
Alicante is recognised as one of Spain's leaders in glass collection and has been awarded the Ecovidrio Green Flag for Sustainable Development. In 2024, the city increased its recycling volume by 6%, becoming the second fastest growing provincial capital in the country.
♻️ Glass collection record and contribution to the environment
In 2024, 6,726 tons of glass containers were collected in Alicante, 6% more than in 2023. This achievement is particularly significant against the background of an overall decline in consumption of 3%. Thanks to glass recycling, it was possible to avoid:
- 3,900 tons of CO₂ emissions
- Extraction of more than 8,000 tons of natural resources
- Cost of 4,800 MWh of energy
That's equivalent to taking 2,000 cars off the road for a year, or nearly seven times the weight of Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue.
🧍♂️ 19 kg of glass per person
Each Alicante resident in 2024 deposited an average of 18.7 kg of glass – around 64 bottles and cans – in one of the 1,547 green bins installed throughout the city. This compares with the national average ( 19.1 kg/person ).
Residents of the city handed in more than 63,000 glass containers per day, which is more than 40 per minute .
🏁 Green Flag Competition: 48 cities participate
Alicante is competing with 47 other municipalities in the Valencian Community to re-obtain the Green Flag , awarded by Ecovidrio for effective environmental policies and sustainable businesses. The winners will not only receive recognition, but also an environmental beach clean-up campaign , organised in partnership with Paisaje Limpio .
🍽️ Recognition for sustainability in the HoReCa sector
This year, Ecovidrio will also award two catering establishments in the Valencian Community for their greatest commitment to sustainable practices: efficient consumption of resources, waste reduction, responsible purchasing and recycling . Last year, the winners were the restaurants Petimetre and Cor de Carxofa .
🌍 What Ecovidrio says
“We are proud that every year the #MovimientoBanderasVerdes initiative brings together restaurants and cities. With the surge in tourist traffic during the summer, it is especially important to support recycling. We thank all establishments and municipalities for their contribution to a more sustainable future,” says Roberto Fuentes , Deputy Director of the Eastern Zone of Ecovidrio.
✅ Why is this important?
Glass is a 100% recyclable material that can be used an infinite number of times without losing quality. This makes separate collection of glass containers one of the most effective and environmentally friendly recycling methods .