The best players of the Women's EuroBasket 2021, which is held in Valencia from June 17 to 27, will receive a very special trophy from Ecovidrio .
The non-profit entity in charge of the management of the recycling of glass packaging waste in Spain has been in charge of preparing these awards that will be presented, to the best quintet of the competition on June 27th coinciding with the end of the championship.
The main novelty of these awards is that its manufacture is 100% Valencian. The material used comes from the glass recycled by the Valencians, glass that has served to give life to these unique trophies, manufactured by the Valencian artisan and glass designer, Sara Sorribes, from Vidrio Sorribes.
Another aspect that makes it special is its mediterranean character, and is that the best EuroBasket players will also take, in this trophy, a piece of Valencia in the form of sand from Malvarrosa beach placed at the base of the cup.
The trophies, produced by hand in an artisanal way, contain sand from Malvarrosa Beach.
Regarding the technique used, Sara Sorribes stressed that "each and every one of the pieces that make up the trophy are cut, sanded and glued by hand, which makes these artisan elaborations unique".
This initiative, which is part of the campaign «Recycle glass, 100% successful», commissioned next to the Spanish Basketball Federation collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana, the Valencia City Council and the Valencia Provincial Council, joins other actions launched by Ecovidrio to promote the recycling of glass containers during the EuroBasket celebration..
On the one hand, the entity has placed in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Valencia the world's largest container, 8 meters high, which wears the colors of the women's basketball team and has become an emblem to highlight the importance of recycling glass containers in the fight against climate change and the transition to a circular conomy..
Another initiative has been the location of twelve igloos in the shape of a basketball located in different parts of the city. Specifically, these original pieces can be found in the Fonteta, pavilion where the championship will be held; on the City of Arts and Sciences, in front of the Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía; at Palau de la Música; in the Paseo de la Alameda; in Serrería Avenue; in Port Avenue; in Gran Vía Marqués del Turia and at different points in the city center such as the North Station; the Colón Market; Colón Street, Cirilo Amorós and Plaza América.
With all these actions, from Ecovidrio is intended to value the qualities that the recycling and sport, how are the commitment, the responsability, the effort and above all, teamwork..
Glass recycling data in Valencia
According to the latest data on 2020, the inhabitants of Valencia recycled a total of 13,136,550 kilograms of glass containers, which means that each inhabitant recycled an average of 16.4 kg.
Regarding the containerization rate, Valencia is located with an average of 294 inhabitants per container, with a total of 2,719 igloos for installed glass container waste.
Environmental benefits of recycling glass container waste in Valencia
During 2020, Valencians have continued to become aware on the importance of caring for the environment. Thus, the recycling of glass containers has been, for yet another year, a perfect example of a model for circular conomy., also supporting the 2030 Agenda and up to six Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, during the past year, thanks to glass recycling, it has been achieved:
* Avoid the emission of 7,618 tons of CO2, an amount equivalent to withdrawing 3,557 cars from circulation for one year.
* Avoid extraction of 15,763 tons of raw materials (sand, soda and limestone), more than 1.5 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
* Save 9,831 MWh of energy.
The initiative seeks to promote the recycling of glass containers during the EuroBasket celebration.
About Ecovidrio
Ecovidrio is the non-profit entity in charge of managing the recycling of glass packaging waste in Spain. In 1997, after the approval of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Law in 1997 and the start-up of its operations in 1998, it became the managing entity of a recycling model that guarantees a complete service and to which all citizens have access. In terms of financing, 8,000 packaging companies make possible, with their contribution through the green dot, the recycling system.
The work of Ecovidrio stands out for ensure high quality recycling through the container, boost infrastructures containerization and collection, investing in plans and resources for increase recycling of glass containers in the hospitality industry, mobilize citizens through awareness campaigns and promote prevention and eco-design of packaging.
In the last two decades the system of Ecovidrio has allowed the exponential growth of the recycling rate going from a 31.3% in 2000 to 76.8% in 2018, according to the latest official data from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITERD).
Recycling of glass containers is an element fundamental to contribute to sustainable development, promote the transition towards the circular economy and fight against climate change. Furthermore, recycling glass containers is an activity supports the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically, it redounds on the objectives (11) Sustainable cities and communities, (12) Responsible consumption and production and (13) Climate action.
