Since UNESCO established it 20 years ago, May 17 is celebrated as 'World Recycling Day'. It is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of this practice both in our homes and businesses. Recycling not only contributes to reducing the amount of waste in landfills, but also combats environmental pollution by reducing the need to extract and process raw materials. In households, recycling allows each person to be an agent of change, adopting habits that reduce environmental impact and foster a culture of sustainability. For companies, on the other hand, recycling represents a strategic opportunity to optimize resources, reduce operating costs and improve their reputation among increasingly aware consumers.
In Spain, many efforts have been made to promote and strengthen the recycling system by the public administration, the private sector and households. According to Eurostat, we recycle half of the waste treated (excluding mineral waste). In addition, we recycle almost 70% of all types of packaging (including paper and cardboard, plastics, wood, metal and glass) and of selectively collected electronic waste . Analyzing these figures, despite being below the average for the European Union, we could highlight the effort made, but... what if I were to tell you that it is not enough?
In 2023, Spain recorded a circularity rate (i.e., the rate of materials recycled and reintroduced into the economy) of 8.5%, more than 3 percentage points below the European Union average. There is a fallacy in believing that by recycling materials we are already fulfilling our environmental responsibilities. However, this is NOT the case. Recycling is part of a large set of actions and tasks within the concept of circular economy:
Figure 1: "R" ladder in the Circular Economy
This illustration represents the butterfly diagram or the "R's ladder" in the circular economy, which shows the processes we must go through when dealing with our resources. As can be seen, there are up to three processes before reaching the actual use, namely reject, rethink and reduce. This approach makes us reflect on our mindset about the value chain and our daily actions. Subsequently, the next steps involve having used the resource, and it is not until before the disposal (to generate energy) of the product that recycling comes into play. Likewise, the circular economy is often related only to the treatment of materials, when in fact it encompasses much more. It is essential to approach resources such as water and energy from an eco-efficiency perspective, applying circular economy principles to optimize their use, reduce losses and maximize their reuse in industrial and sustainable processes, both for the company and for the planet. This is why Forética, in the Circular Economy Action Group, is addressing the circularity of water and its efficient management.
In short, recycling is not only a responsibility, but an opportunity to build a more equitable and respectful society with the planet, where every action counts to preserve the environmental wealth that surrounds us. However, remember that, in order to save the planet, recycling is a necessary but not sufficient condition.
