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At the beginning of March, the infants and primary school, Margalida Florit, signed up to the “Promise 2020 without Plastic” and so agreeing not to use any plastic tableware in the school that is for use only once.
The “Promise 2020 Without Plastic” is a campaign started by GOB in the middle of 2018 that aims to eliminate the maximum amount of expendable plastic and to use products made from more sustainable materials, throughout Menorca.
One of the industries using the most amount of plastic for only one use is the food industry and above all for the products on display in large supermarkets including fruit and vegetables wrapped up in plastic.
Maybe, now that we have a little more time, and we have to avoid large crowds, this is the moment to think about returning to buying unpackaged goods. Not only fruit and vegetables, but also, flour, pulses, dried fruits and even soap and detergents. In all these cases, and following the rules for basic health care, we can carry our own containers and so avoid tons of unnecessary plastic rubbish.
With this aim in mind, to reduce unnecessary plastics, we could include drinking vessels and cutlery used for fiestas and celebrations. This sort of equipment (glasses, plates and cutlery) can be replaced by reusable tableware which is washable and can be reused an infinite number of times. For those cases when the celebration does not allow for the retrieval of this type of tableware, then there is disposable tableware made out of biodegradable materials, which respects the environment.
In an agreement with the Menorca Preservation Fund and the Marilles Foundation, GOB is providing biodegradable tableware to some education centres that have signed up to make a change at their fiestas. It is made from cellulose materials from the vegetable part of sugar cane that is not used for sugar, as well as from cardboard and wood. Click here to find a list of shops that sell this type of product.
We encourage those schools that have made the change, like CEIP Margalida Florit, to stick to the initiative and to join forces in combatting this global problem.
We would like to take this opportunity to ask for maximum care when using plastic gloves that are used nowadays for shopping. Please, when you have finished using them, put them in a rubbish bin. These days many of them can be seen in the streets. They are made out of light plastic and, in the wind, can be blown around the town ending up affecting the environment.
There are many other schools that have signed up to this agreement You may find them listed on https://www.gobmenorca.com/centres-educatius-adherits-al-compromis-2020-per-eliminar-les-vaixelles-de-plastic-dun-sol-us