Ecoembes and pilgrims make the Camino de Santiago sparkle

Discover the Ecoembes initiative on the Camino de Santiago and how it promotes recycling and environmental care among pilgrims. The article explains sustainable actions, practical tips, and the importance of reducing environmental impact during the route.

The only trace that every pilgrim should leave on the Way is their footprint and their memory among the friendly pilgrims that the path presents to you. While it is true that sometimes, on the Camino de Santiago, we find some litter and waste, in general, the Jacobean routes are quite clean, thanks to the pilgrim values of respect and care for the environment, as well as the initiative of the company Ecoembes, which with the invaluable collaboration of the pilgrims, makes the Camino de Santiago shine.

What is Ecoembes?

The non-profit organization from Madrid, Ecoembes, has been helping companies respond to and adequately fulfill the obligations derived from Law 11/97 on packaging since 1996. In fact, it was the packaging manufacturers, packagers, and distributors themselves who created Ecoembes as a collective and efficient solution to comply with the law. Since 2015, this initiative is also pilgrim and we can find it on the Camino de Santiago.

Ecoembes on the Camino de Santiago

Many of the products manufactured by the companies that make up Ecoembes can be found on the Camino de Santiago, as they are products that pilgrims also consume. Perhaps this is not the reason for Ecoembes' presence on the path, maybe a commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and the Camino de Santiago is an ideal place to implement environmental care actions.

While on the Jacobean routes we can find containers and points to deposit our waste along the Jacobean routes, in some sections we lack them, and the initiative by Ecoembes, providing reusable bags to accumulate our trash, addresses this need. You have surely seen at the counters of bars, restaurants, shelters, and others, boxes with small packets of free yellow bags made from recycled PET; well, these bags are intended for pilgrims to take and carry tied to their backpacks so they can deposit their waste in them, and even trash they may find along the way. Once a container or an eco-shelter is found, the bag can be emptied into it.

On the Ecoembes website, you can learn more, and in more detail on the specific website they have in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, the "Camino del reciclaje".

An example: the 2021 season

Between June and September of the Holy Year 2021, during the peak tourist and pilgrim season, a total of 186 tons of waste were collected on the various routes to Santiago de Compostela, thanks to the 142,000 bags used and the collaboration of 358 eco-shelters, as reported by Ecoembes.

Furthermore, the intention is not only to collect waste, but also to differentiate it and separate plastic from paper. Thus, Ecoembes reports that 52,381 kilograms of plastic, cans, or bricks were counted in yellow containers, and at the same time 133,155 kilograms of paper and cardboard.

The eco-shelters

As we mentioned earlier, there were 358 shelters affiliated in 2021. As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were fewer than there are, as many were closed, but the ratio of kilograms collected per shelter has increased by 0.4% compared to previous data. Each shelter has between 2 and 4 yellow and blue recycling points, where there is also a BIDI code where eco-pilgrims can resolve doubts about recycling.

Of those 358 eco-shelters, 173 were in Galicia, 53 in Asturias, 78 in Castilla y León, 34 in Navarra, and 20 in La Rioja, among public and private. In this way, this project covers the different stages of the French Way, Northern Way, Portuguese Way, English Way, and Primitive Way.

"We want future generations to continue enjoying a Camino de Santiago committed to recycling and free of litter", as stated by the project manager of the Recycling Way at Ecoembes, Carolina Martín. "We are extremely satisfied with the results of this edition. They are a clear reflection of the commitment of eco-pilgrims and eco-shelters to caring for the environment despite the harsh current context caused by the Covid-19 crisis", she adds.

Ecocompostela, let it not be missing

A very pilgrim incentive that aims to promote the use of bags and that the initiative walks like another pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela is the possibility of obtaining an eco-pilgrim certificate, or an ecocompostela, as we like to call it. There is a kind of eco-credential that pilgrims can stamp at establishments affiliated with the initiative, so they can obtain this certificate that guarantees a commitment to nature, the environment, and the values of the pilgrim and the Camino de Santiago.

"Let the Camino leave a mark on you, not you on it"

Under this motto we walk and will continue walking towards Santiago de Compostela. We, who have several of these bags, are cleaning pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, and with great pride. We invite you, pilgrim or future pilgrim, to join us in this endeavor, also setting a very good example for others, thus providing cleanliness and well-being in our journey.

Pilgrims, let us shine together with Ecoembes on this Camino de las Estrellas, the Camino de Santiago, always free of litter.