On Sunday 8th of September, the FCC Ámbito team from the Vall d’Uixó centre (Castellón) participated in a cleaning initiative at the Albufera Natural Park of Valencia, as part of the annual campaign "For a plastic-free Albufera ", organised by the Ecological Transition Regional Council, in collaboration with the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO).

Public and private entities took part at this campaign, including the Agricultural Packaging Collection System SIGFITO Agroenvases, with which FCC Ámbito collaborates, managing this type of waste in many different Communities.

More than 220 volunteers participated in the cleaning activities, coordinated by the riverside town councils and conservation associations. They managed to collect 1,380 kg of different types of waste, which was classified by origin and type of material. Out of the total waste collected, only 70 kg, i.e., 5% of the total, correspond to agricultural sector waste, in its vast majority fertiliser containers. Such a small amount shows that, although the work on raising awareness must be continued, farmers in Valencia are increasingly aware of the need of proper management of container and packaging waste, and the importance of preserving the rice cultivation production systems used within the Albufera Natural Park.

Regarding the other types of waste, and according to the information provided by the Albufera Park, 940 kg of bulky material, 24 kg of other types of plastic, 163 kg of glass, 6.7 kg of paper and cardboard and 176.5 kg of other materials were also collected, in addition to 2,553 cigarette butts picked up from the ground. The most common types of waste were bottles, cans and other containers, in addition to shopping trolleys, mattresses, pallets, plastic chairs, etc. This information indicates that it is necessary to continue raising awareness on the importance of classifying household waste properly to avoid such waste from ending up in environments of such a high environmental value. FCC Ámbito has been collaborating with SIGFITO on a regular basis since its creation more than 15 years ago. During this time, it has provided its services in the Communities of Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra, Madrid, Murcia and the Basque Country, from which it has managed to collect and recycle more than 20,000 tons of agricultural container and packaging waste.