Eight out of ten Spaniards say that they recycle packaging from the yellow bin at home.

38.9 million Spaniards claim to be recyclers, 2 million more than the previous year. This, according to a sociological study carried out by Catchment for Ecoembes.

On the other hand, another study by Ecoembes, indicates that Covid 19 has generated a greater involvement of citizens with recycling, so much so that 19.6% of the population indicates having incorporated new sustainable habits during the confinement. The study indicates that more than 2.5 million Spaniards (6.7 of the population) state that they have begun to separate waste, for subsequent recycling, which previously did not separate.

In general, although the most committed to recycling seem to be those over 55 years of age, the profile of those who have started to recycle the most is young people between 16 and 35 years of age. Among those who say they have begun to separate new waste, 45.4% have done so with packaging that goes into the yellow container (plastic, cans and cartons) and 28.6% with those that go into the blue container (paper and cardboard).

Some points of interest of both studies:

95.3% of respondents say recycling is important to curb climate change.

91.5% believe that recycling packaging helps to keep the air clean.

82.3% of those interviewed stated that they had several bins, bags or spaces in their homes for separating waste for subsequent recycling.

By autonomous communities, the inhabitants of La Rioja have the most recycling spaces in their homes (94.8% of those surveyed), followed by those of Navarre (93.7%), the Basque Country (90.8%), the Community of Madrid (89.2%) and Andalusia (85.6%).

The over 55s are the most committed to recycling: 84.5% say they have more than one space for recycling in their homes, one of them being for packaging that is deposited in the yellow bin.

Catchment’s study was conducted on a sample of 8,800 people nationwide during 2020.

“The results of this study are a reflection of how society is increasingly committed to separating its waste, a small gesture that brings great benefits to the planet. These data allow us to look to the future with optimism, working to take firm steps towards the circular economy, betting on the reduction, reuse and recycling, assuming that recycling more and better is everyone’s responsibility, “said Nieves Rey, director of Communication and Marketing Ecoembes.