Since its inception in 2013, the Maresme Waste Consortium’s environmental education programme has had a total of 101,274 participants
In the last academic year 2024-2025, the programme carried out 426 educational activities with the participation of 10,744 people
As part of World Environmental Education Day, which is celebrated on Monday 26 January, Maresme Circular, the brand of the Maresme Waste Consortium, highlights the track record and impact of its educational programme “Un volt als residus” (A tour of the plant), which in the last academic year 2024-2025 reached a historic milestone, exceeding 100,000 participants since its creation in 2013.
A total of 101,274 people have participated in the various educational activities since the programme was launched twelve years ago, a figure that rises to 123,927 attendees if all visits to the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery – a facility where materials from the Maresme and Vallés Oriental waste streams are recovered and recycled – since they began in 1996 are taken into account.
During the last academic year, the programme offered 426 educational activities and had 10,744 participants, mostly secondary school and upper primary school pupils. The overall results confirm a sustained trend of high interest in the programme and involvement of educational centres over the years.
‘Our environmental education programme is one of the most powerful tools we have for raising environmental awareness in the region,’ says Jordi Pons, director of Maresme Circular, who adds: ‘Reaching more than 100,000 participants is a milestone that highlights the real impact of the programme over the years.’
In terms of geographical distribution, the Maresme has been the region with the highest participation, accounting for nearly 61% of all activities in the 2024-2025 academic year, followed by Vallès Oriental (20%) and Barcelonés (13%), among others.
Immersive experience with virtual reality glasses during a guided tour of the Mataró waste treatment plant, allowing visitors to take a journey into the present and future of recycling / Marga Cruz
A new workshop
With the aim of continuing to update content and respond to new environmental challenges, a new educational activity focused on waste electrical and electronic equipment was launched last year, aimed at secondary school, sixth form and vocational training students.
The workshop, entitled “RAEEsidus y RAEEcursos” (WEEE waste and resources), in reference to the acronym for waste electrical and electronic equipment, aims to raise awareness of the environmental and social impact of the use of mobile and portable devices, as well as to explore ways of minimising the negative impact of these devices. The activity includes the “dissection” of an electronic device to identify its components and then learn about the materials and social and environmental impacts of each one. After looking at the current problems arising from the manufacture of electrical and electronic devices and their management once they become waste, activities are carried out to learn how to increase the useful life of mobile and portable devices and reduce the negative impact of these devices.
‘The incorporation of innovative activities adapted to different age groups is essential to continue connecting with the public and multiply our impact,’ Pons points out. In this regard, since 2022, Maresme Circular has incorporated Virtual Reality into the guided tours of its waste treatment plant through an immersive experience with Meta Quest 2 glasses that allow visitors to take a journey into the present and future of recycling.
In addition, the programme has also incorporated new proposals such as “Recursos lligats de peus i mans”, an activity aimed at children aged 5 and above to raise awareness about the correct separation of waste, and “Mots circulars” [Circular words], a new workshop designed for primary school pupils that allows them to work on vocabulary and key concepts of the circular economy.
‘Un volt als residus’ (A tour of the plant)
The environmental education programme ‘Un volt als residus’ was created by Maresme Circular in 2013 with the aim of raising public awareness of the problems associated with current production and consumption models and the fundamental role of waste management in the context of the climate emergency.
Aimed at children, young people and adults, the programme offers a wide range of free activities, including educational workshops for all educational stages, guided in-person and virtual tours of the Mataró waste treatment plant, and other awareness-raising activities aimed at the consortium’s member municipalities, such as Ludobrossa, the exhibition “An economic model hanging by a thread’ and the waste bingo workshop ‘Tin, carton… and shout bingo!’
Guided tour of the Maresme Comprehensive Waste Recovery Centre, a facility where materials from the Maresme and Vallés Oriental waste streams are recovered and recycled / Marga Cruz
