Zarautz, a reference town on the coast of Gipuzkoa, wants to become the first municipality in the State to banish plastic bags. Taking advantage of the European directive 2015/720 that has prohibited the distribution free of plastic bags before eradicating them in 2021, the Zarauztarra city council proposed to get ahead and go further of its own free will, through the distribution of biodegradable bags, the introduction of other alternative materials, and the awareness of merchants and consumers.

The campaign began in a first phase last March with the distribution of 26,000 biodegradable bags between market stalls and 55 shops in the municipality. The campaign -carried out in collaboration with Emmaus, Surfrider, Ternua, Ecorek and Mater Museoa- has also led Primary schoolchildren to clean up waste from the beach, has made 1,500 reusable bags from fishing net waste in collaboration with the neteras de Ondarroa, and has made 40 shopping carts with advertising banners.

The campaign #ENRED2 #TRAOLAN2 has also established Wednesdays as the day of the week when plastic bags are not ordered or delivered. As part of the first phase, an environmental educator will also tour the local establishments before December.

The Agenda 21 department of the Zarauztarra town hall intends to follow the principle “Think globally and act locally”, remembering that plastic bags that reach the oceans last 400 years, and can even reach our plates of food turned into microplastics. A study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns that if the situation is not reversed to Globally, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.