SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 16th May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo of Tenerife has granted the management of clean points, mini clean points, and waste awareness initiatives to the public company Gesplan for a sum of approximately 5.7 million euros, to be carried out over a period of one year and eight months.
The Minister responsible for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, stated in a release that clean points are designated areas where residents can dispose of their waste separately.
“Currently, Tenerife has eight clean points, with plans to double this number. The expectation is for new clean points at Los Rodeos and the Tenerife Environmental Complex to be operational by the first quarter of next year,” she elaborated.
Furthermore, she highlighted that the Cabildo of Tenerife is actively promoting a waste management approach that aligns with the objectives outlined by Europe, prioritising minimisation, reuse, and recycling over disposal.
“We are placing emphasis on encouraging society to transition from being waste generators to resource producers. By enhancing our selective waste collection practices at home, we can reduce the landfill volume, achieve optimal environmental efficiency, and decrease the island’s ecological footprint,” she explained.
The Minister for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies advocated for “shifting from a disposable economy to one where we can transform generated waste into raw materials, fostering green and skilled job creation, nurturing the recycling sector, and advancing research.”
Currently, there are eight clean points on Tenerife Island, located in Jagua (Santa Cruz), Torres de Taco, Güímar, Adeje, Buenavista del Norte, La Guancha, La Orotava, and Arona.
EXPANSION PLANS
In addition, the Cabildo is in the process of establishing eight new clean points at the Tenerife Environmental Complex (Arico), Los Rodeos (La Laguna), Fasnia, Granadilla, San Miguel, Vilaflor, Guía de Isora, and Tegueste.
The Insular Director of Waste, Alejandro Molowny, mentioned that alongside managing the clean points, various awareness-raising initiatives will continue, including those integrated into educational programs like Classrooms + Sustainable, People + Sustainable, Entities + Sustainable, educational visits to the Tenerife Environmental Complex, and Sustainable events.
“We recognise the critical role of awareness-raising as a prerequisite for action. Engaging individuals in projects that simplify understanding, learning, and contemplation of their consumption habits and waste management is one of the most significant challenges we face today,” he emphasised.
The Director of Waste for the island highlighted the extended operating hours of the clean points to enable residents to dispose of their waste effectively and enhance recycling efforts.
Hence, the clean points are open on Mondays (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.), Tuesday to Friday (8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.), Saturday (9:00-8:00 p.m.), and Sunday (9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.).
