The Consell collaborates with Ecoembes to implement an app in all Valencian municipalities that rewards the recycling of cans and plastic bottles

'Reciclos' is a return and reward system that allows participation in raffles or helping to finance environmental projects

The Department of Environment, Water, Infrastructure and Territory has collaborated with Ecoembes to deploy the 'Recycles' application in all the municipalities of the Community. This application rewards the recycling of cans and plastic beverage bottles through points that users can exchange for participation in drawings for different gifts or make donations to finance environmental projects.

'Reciclos' is a Return and Reward System (SDR) that began to be deployed in 2020 and, until now, was present in 32 municipalities of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia. Using a mobile application, it allowed citizens to scan the barcode on the container before throwing it into the trash can at their home and, later, they had to do the same with another QR code that appeared on the containers.

Now, with the new application, it is only necessary to take a photograph of the container after scanning the barcode on the container. The new application has geolocation technology that identifies the container and artificial intelligence that validates the act of recycling and delivers 'Recycles' points to users.

The general director of Quality and Environmental Education, Jorge Blanco, has highlighted that, with the new application, the Valencian Community becomes “thanks to the agreement that the Generalitat and Ecoembes have reached” the first autonomy that has deployed the 'Recycles' system in all its town halls. In this sense, Blanco has detailed that "this return and reward system will involve the population in the Generalitat's efforts to reduce waste in our natural environments."

Blanco has also explained that, in addition to exchanging points for participation in raffles, users will also be able to donate them to finance environmental recovery projects such as 'Save Little Big Seahorse' by the Oceanidas organization to protect seahorse colonies or contribute to the project 'For a Albufera without plastics ' , which works to recover the aquatic ecosystem of the Natural Park through cleaning tasks and citizen awareness.

In addition, the SDR also has 59 machines, located in sports centers, universities and shopping centers throughout the Valencian Community. To use them, you just have to place all your cans and plastic beverage bottles in them and scan the QR that the machine will show to obtain the points.

In this sense, the manager of Ecoembes in the Valencian Community, Xavier Balagué, has highlighted "the technological commitment so that all Valencians committed to recycling can be rewarded."