A few days before the celebration of Euskal Jaia, a note from the Department of the Environment of the City of Zarautz was published in some media, requesting responsibility for the waste. The note also announced that the Zarautz City Hall would strengthen cleaning services and increase the number of containers. It is clear that these measures were rather short, because by half a day there were full containers or trash cans and the streets were dirty. Furthermore, the container islands, i.e. the collection points in some sections, being very few, were common in the containers the presence of plastic cups and bottles. Elsewhere, although it may seem strange, near full containers, waste away from containers was ordered, and at that time it became clear to me that the most important problem was the generation of excessive waste.

So if we want to avoid dirt on the streets of Zarautz or any town, beach or sea, we must reduce waste generation. To this end, I believe that in addition to banning single-use plastic cups, in the notes that the Zarautz City Council sends to the media asking for a responsible attitude, I believe that it can say that packaging will cost one more euro as long as it does not return, that videos can also be made to make people aware, for example, of the consequences that eating fish can have on people. In any case, I will not continue to give ideas for reducing waste, as in a village near Zarautz the festival of ikastolas, Kilometroak, was celebrated, and it was all clear. I therefore believe that in the Basque Country Jaia in Zarautz we should also remain the same.

In conclusion, I would also like to express my disagreement with the interruption of door-to-door collection of organic matter at points of sale for three days, in which many organic materials could go to refuse rather than composting.

Patxi Aznar Bellido, member of the anti-incinerator movement and the Guraso platform