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Barcelona launches dedicated collections for mobile phones and cava bottles at Puntos Verdes
Barcelona has decided to take another step in waste management and this month is adding two new dedicated services to the Puntos Verdes network: separate collection of mobile phones and, coinciding with the Christmas season, the recovery of cava bottles for reuse. Both measures fit into the Pla Clima roadmap and reinforce the municipal goal of moving towards a zero waste model.
Until now, mobile phones shared a container with the rest of the electronic devices. From December, each Punto Verde—whether fixed or mobile—will have opaque, sealed containers intended exclusively for these devices, with controlled channels and traceability from the moment of handover. Two key players are behind the process: Fundació Ecoasimelec and the social-integration company Andròmines, which are responsible for removing the containers, assessing each handset, securely wiping its data and determining whether it can re-enter circulation. Those that can be saved are refurbished and returned to the market; irreparable ones are broken down to recover scarce materials such as copper, cobalt or lithium.
The initiative, a pioneer in the urban sphere, seeks to tackle a threefold problem: the environmental cost of manufacturing new devices, the toxicity of electronic waste and the missed opportunity to create employment linked to its repair. To facilitate the process, the City Council recommends that users delete data, reset the device and deactivate accounts before handing it in.
The second service arrives with a festive spirit: differentiated collection of cava bottles returns from 15 December, designed so that the glass is not only recycled, but can also be reused up to fifteen times. This extension of useful life reduces energy consumption by 95% compared with manufacturing new bottles. After being handed in at the Puntos Verdes, they go to a plant where they are washed, inspected and sorted; only suitable ones return to the circuit; the rest go to conventional recycling.
In total, Barcelona has 134 Puntos Verdes, distributed among neighbourhood and area facilities and mobile units. Beyond being a free service, the network aims to establish itself as a practical tool: a nearby place to deposit waste that does not fit in the container on the corner and, at the same time, a gateway to a more circular, tangible and everyday economy.