- In the Early Childhood Education cycle of all schools in Hernani and in the Primary Education cycle of a school center, the use of fabric napkins instead of paper napkins has begun in the dining room. The initiative has been carried out by the City Council, which has bought cotton handkerchiefs for 213 students in a fabric shop of the town. With this change the City Hall has calculated that 1,100 kilograms less paper will be used per year (and that so many other waste will be saved) and aims to avoid a practice that generates a culture of "use and throw" among children.
A pilot project has been launched on the proposal of the City Hall for the use of fabric reusable scarves in the dining rooms of the Hernani Primary and Child Education Centres. "The main objective is to reduce the use of paper napkins: in addition to impacting on waste prevention, so that students acquire the habit of learning to consume and reuse sustainably, rather than "use and throw", the City Hall announced in the note.
219,275 paper napkin savings, 1.1 tonnes paper
The City Hall estimates that "considering only school canteens in Hernani, 219,275 paper napkins (1,100 kg paper) are consumed and disposed of annually. The unconscious gesture of cleaning the mouth and throwing paper away is too expensive for the environment. In fact, in addition to throwing large quantities of paper, to make paper napkins you have to cut 54 trees a year and spend and pollute 1,407 liters of water a day. That is why it is also important to acquire sustainable habits in the school dining room to take care of the environment".
In addition to influencing the students' habits, the City Hall intends to influence the habits of the families and among them will distribute a handsheet for the use of cloth scarves to reach the homes.