The only trace every pilgrim should leave on the Camino is their footprint and their memory among fellow pilgrims they meet along the way. While it’s true that sometimes, on the Camino de Santiago, we come across some litter and waste, in general the Jacobean routes are fairly clean—thanks to the values of respect and environmental care held by pilgrims, as well as the initiative by Ecoembes, which with the invaluable help of pilgrims, makes the Camino de Santiago shine.
Ecoembes
What is Ecoembes?
The non-profit organization Ecoembes, based in Madrid, has been helping companies since 1996 to comply with Spain’s Packaging Law 11/97. In fact, it was the packaging manufacturers, packers, and distributors themselves who created Ecoembes as a collective and efficient solution to meet these obligations. Since 2015, this initiative has also become a pilgrim and is now present along the Camino de Santiago.
The Camino against litter with Ecoembes
Ecoembes on the Camino de Santiago
Many of the products made by companies involved with Ecoembes can be found on the Camino de Santiago, since they’re commonly used by pilgrims. However, that may not be the only reason Ecoembes is present on the Camino—perhaps it’s also a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility, and the Camino is an ideal place to implement environmental care initiatives.
Although the Jacobean routes have recycling bins and disposal points along the way, some sections lack them, and that’s where Ecoembes steps in—offering reusable bags so we can collect our own waste along the way. You’ve probably seen small yellow bag packs, made from recycled PET, in boxes on bar counters, restaurants, hostels, and more. Well, these bags are meant for pilgrims to grab and tie to their backpacks, so they can collect their own trash—and even litter they may find along the way. Once they reach a bin or an eco-hostel, they can empty the bag there.
On the Ecoembes website, you can find more information, especially on the dedicated webpage created in partnership with the Xunta de Galicia: “El Camino del Reciclaje” (The Recycling Camino).
An example: the 2021 season
Between June and September of the Holy Year 2021, during peak tourism and pilgrimage season, a total of 186 tonnes of waste were collected along the various routes to Santiago de Compostela—thanks to the use of 142,000 yellow bags and the participation of 358 eco-hostels, according to Ecoembes.
The Ecoembes Camino group in the 2021 season
What’s more, the goal isn’t just to collect waste, but to sort it and separate plastic from paper. Ecoembes reports that 52,381 kilograms of plastic, cans, or cartons were collected in yellow bins, and another 133,155 kilograms of paper and cardboard in blue ones.
The Eco-hostels
As mentioned above, 358 hostels joined the initiative in 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was fewer than normal, as many hostels were closed. Still, the average amount of waste collected per hostel increased by 0.4% compared to previous years. Each hostel has 2 to 4 yellow and blue recycling points, along with a QR code that eco-pilgrims can scan to answer questions about recycling.
Of those 358 eco-hostels, 173 were in Galicia, 53 in Asturias, 78 in Castile and León, 34 in Navarre, and 20 in La Rioja—covering both public and private hostels. In this way, the project reaches different stages of the French Way, the Northern Way, the Portuguese Way, the English Way, and the Original Way.
“We want future generations to keep enjoying a Camino de Santiago committed to recycling and free of litter“, says Carolina Martín, the head of the Camino del Reciclaje project at Ecoembes. “We’re extremely proud of the results from this edition. They’re a clear reflection of the commitment shown by eco-pilgrims and eco-hostels to protecting the environment, even amid the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 crisis“, she adds.
Promotion of Ecoembes hostels
Ecocompostela: don’t miss it!
A very pilgrim-style incentive designed to encourage the use of the yellow bags and to make the initiative walk alongside other pilgrims to Santiago is the chance to earn an eco-pilgrim Compostela—or ecocompostela, as we like to call it. There is a kind of eco-credential that pilgrims can stamp at establishments participating in the initiative. This allows them to earn a certificate that represents their commitment to nature, the environment, and the values of the pilgrim and the Camino de Santiago.
“Let the Camino leave its mark on you, not you on the Camino”
Under this slogan, we walk and will keep walking towards Santiago de Compostela. We ourselves carry several of these bags and proudly call ourselves “pilgrim street sweepers” on the Camino. And we invite you, future pilgrim or current one, to join us in setting a great example for others by giving the gift of cleanliness and wellbeing along the way.
Pilgrims, let’s make this Way of the Stars shine with Ecoembes—the Camino de Santiago, always free from litter.
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