The event organizers invited the mayor, Jorge Rodríguez, to present Ontinyent's experience as the largest city in Spain to successfully implement such a system. At the presentation, held at 11:00 AM at the FOBESA stand in Hall 5 of Feria Valencia, Rodríguez highlighted the challenge of implementing door-to-door selective collection without a direct reference municipality of equal or larger size, and the importance of sharing results, difficulties, and lessons learned to support other administrations.
The Councilor for Sustainability, Sayo Gandia, emphasized the importance of uniting efforts between the City Council and the company. She presented the results from the initial months, including a 67% reduction in residual waste (from 1,054,070 kg to 345,400 kg between August 2025 and August 2026). During the same period, light packaging collection increased by 112%, paper and cardboard by 42%, and glass by 32%. Additionally, the new system incorporated separate collection of organic matter, with 273,640 kg collected in August.
In the first four months, the system has reduced residual waste by 2.5 million kilograms. The mayor praised citizen involvement, with over 93% participation, and the quality of source separation, considering them fundamental for effective environmental results. The presentation also addressed the organizational aspects of the service, including expanding work teams, establishing nine new night routes, and reinforcing support for adapted collections. Improvements in collection points and the management of sanitary textile waste were also discussed.
Ecofira is celebrating its twentieth edition this year at Feria Valencia, bringing together over a hundred companies and public organizations showcasing technological solutions and initiatives for waste management and the circular economy. The event, running from November 10th to 12th, also includes a professional program of meetings and debates on environmental challenges for cities and municipalities.
