The General Directorate of Consumer Affairs of the Andalusian Government joins the commemoration of the International Zero Waste Day, whose objective is to minimize solid waste and debris on the planet, promoting more sustainable production and consumption methods. Domestic waste constitutes a significant percentage of the total generated, and therefore its management and treatment are necessary to minimize the environmental impact of the same.
Thus, emphasis is placed on the importance of properly separating the waste generated at home, such as organic waste, glass, packaging, paper and cardboard, appliances, furniture and household items, electronic devices, used clothing, batteries, or expired medications.
Given the continuous generation of these waste and debris, citizens are encouraged to apply the ‘Rs’ of the circular economy, which go beyond the ‘3R Rule’: reflection on consumption, reduction in waste generation, reuse of products or waste, repair, recovery of products, recycling of waste, redesign of products, and rejection of products deemed unsustainable.
Yellow container
The yellow container is intended for lightweight packaging. Therefore, it should be used to dispose of items such as plastic bottles, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastic lids and caps, jar lids, caps, aluminum trays, plastic film, aerosols, deodorants, plastic bags (except garbage bags), beverage cartons, white cork trays, yogurt containers. On the other hand, non-packaging plastics should never be discarded in it, such as toys, video or audio tapes, pipes, toothbrushes, baby bottles, pacifiers, kitchen utensils, plastic buckets, lunch boxes, aluminum coffee capsules, silicone kitchen molds, or plastic pots.
Blue container
The blue container is intended for paper and cardboard, specifically for packaging and boxes, bags, common-use paper, newspapers, magazines, and books. It is recommended that they be folded, and that bags used for transportation, if made of plastic, should not be left with them. Likewise, diapers, sanitary napkins, tissues, dirty papers, cardboard or paper stained with grease or oil should not be disposed of in it.
Green container
The green container is for glass. This category of waste consists of glass bottles and jars, as well as food jars (jams, olives, etc.). The containers should be empty and clean, without lids, corks, stoppers, or the bags used to transport them. Glass objects such as tableware, light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, mirrors, windows, ceramics, porcelain, bricks, stones, and vases are excluded from the green container. In addition, plastic lids or caps should be placed in the yellow container, and cork ones in the organic waste container.
Gray and brown containers
Domestic waste that does not have a specific container should be deposited in the gray container, which is intended for organic material such as food scraps, expired food, leaf and plant debris, or products made from organic materials, like cork stoppers. The gray container also accepts waste from household cleaning such as sweeping dust, vacuum cleaner bags, tableware, including ceramic and porcelain, cigarette butts and ashes, chimney residues, sanitary textile materials (diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons, ear swabs, wet wipes, or dental floss), medical supplies (bandages, gauze, cotton, adhesive bandages), condoms, toothbrushes, or razors.
However, if there is also a brown container, organic waste should be disposed of in it, such as raw or cooked food, meat and fish scraps, eggshells, fruit peels and pits, flowers, plants, or natural sawdust.
Recycling centers
Recycling centers are facilities where, temporarily and free of charge, general electronic waste is housed, such as household appliances, air conditioning and climate control equipment, screens and televisions, computers, printers, fluorescent lamps, mobile phones or tablets, LED lamps, photovoltaic panels, clocks or musical instruments. These waste products generally contain components such as metals, plastics, glass, and chemicals like copper, mercury, tin, cadmium, lead, or other substances that have a high environmental impact.
Additionally, recycling centers are also set up for other types of waste such as tires, scrap metal, furniture, household items, wood, or hazardous waste, like those from paints, varnishes, adhesives, cleaning products, insecticides, printer cartridges, automotive oils, batteries, batteries, fluorescent tubes, light bulbs, or containers containing harmful substances. Used batteries or tire remnants can also be delivered to specific establishments, such as repair shops or hardware stores or other specialized businesses.
Clothing, shoes, and household textiles that are no longer used can be left at recycling centers or authorized containers. Before leaving them in these devices, it is advisable to assess whether they can be reused and, if so, whether they can be donated to charitable organizations for others to benefit from.
SIGRE Points
Medicines should never be flushed down drains or thrown in the trash, due to their significant environmental impact. Medications that are no longer used or have expired, as well as their packaging (blister packs and boxes), should be deposited at SIGRE points, located in pharmacies.