Barcelona, 16 February 2016 – Under the slogan “There is no planet B, Recycle!”, the Green MED Initiative (GMI) project has successfully engaged students and companies from the Mediterranean region in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities through the return of single-use beverage containers, hence reducing their ecological impact.
The ASCAME network project, funded by the EU under the ENPI CBC MED Programme, aims to be a step towards an innovative deposit return system in the Mediterranean region to encourage recycling of packaging waste. Since April 2015, a total of 198,162 bottles have been recycled thanks to the Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) installed in 4 Mediterranean cities: Barcelona, Beirut, Cagliari and Tunis. When returning their empty containers (cans and plastic bottles), users can get instant rewards based on the regional “Rewards & Challenges” programs specific to each of the regions.
The GMI project was launched in 3 Catalan universities in April 2015, followed by 5 Sardinian schools in October 2015, and 25 Lebanese schools and universities in December 2015. The machines came online in 36 Tunisian schools during the second week of February 2016. The final deployment and implementation are expected in March 2016 in Alexandria.
Today, Mediterranean cities still face a significant challenge of solid waste management. While the waste management problem is more critical in some countries of the Southern Mediterranean than the Northern Mediterranean countries, however, both shores of the Mediterranean suffer from poor policies and practices for the management of their solid waste. Waste in the Mediterranean region poses a threat not only to the inhabitants of the region but also to the adjacent marine coastal environment. The Mediterranean Sea is highly affected by plastic dumping.
The ASCAME network is strongly committed to the promotion of CSR and green economy in the Mediterranean. Certainly, the GMI project steps in as an attempt to encourage the young minds of the future and businesses to be environmentally responsible.
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