Recycling is very much up to the individual, but Barcelona has now found a way to encourage its residents to do so.
If you live in Barcelona, you can now reduce your water bill by registering your every visit to a green recycling point.
In a recent article, we explained how to reduce your water bill and your water footprint. Now we’ll tell you how you can lower your bill by recycling if you live in Barcelona.
Details of your water bill
A big part of your water bill is waste.
On our last bill, more than 40% was for these two taxes:
- the tax on municipal waste generated in private homes
- the metropolitan tax for the treatment of municipal waste.
Details of a water bill in Barcelona mentioning the two taxes on waste
How to receive your card to register your visits to the Green Point
There are two options for receiving your card:
- Online
Go to the website of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
Simply download your last invoice, fill in the name of the contract holder, your NIE, DNI or passport, your home address, and the details of your contract with the download of your last invoice, an email address, and you will receive your card at home.
- At a green point
All you need to bring is a copy of the contract holder’s water bill with a name, surname, ID, address, telephone and contract number.
What is a Green point? “Punt verd”
As I explained in the article on how to recycle in Spain, a green point is a place where you can bring any type of waste (usually small) that cannot be recycled in the containers found in most residential streets (yellow, green, blue, grey, brown containers).
Examples are clothes, electronic waste, batteries, etc.
When I’m not sure where something needs to go, I always bring this waste and they tell me where to put it.
For example, for expired medicines, you have to go to the pharmacy.
Where are the green points?
There are some in every neighbourhood.
They are usually small prefabricated buildings that open during business hours.
For security purposes, do not leave this type of waste in front of their doors if they are closed, so check their timetable first.
What exactly can be recycled at the green points?
There is a lot of waste that can be recycled at Barcelona’s green points.
Here is a non-exhaustive list:
Reusable waste
- printer ink cartridges
- clothes
- shoes
Recyclable waste
- TVs and monitors
- other electronic and electrical appliances
- electrical cables
- CDs and DVDs
- Various metals
- cooking oil (you can ask them for a special container to recycle it in)
- Small tyres
- single-dose coffee capsules
Special waste
- aerosols and sprays
- car batteries
- cosmetics
- batteries
- motor oil
- paints
- solvents
- acids
- radios
- light bulbs
- plant protection products, herbicides and pesticides
Every time you go to a Green Point, remember to bring your card so that your visit is counted. You can save up to 14% on the waste fee.
This is an initiative that encourages citizens to do the right thing.
Because if plastic is a real scourge, other waste is just as bad and should be brought here.
Don’t miss our article on recycling in Spain to find out more.
How to improve recycling in Spain: Tips to recycle better for each bin
Feel free to share this good news on social media, or leave a comment if you have any questions or additional information to share with the Planeta Sana community.
And as always, if you know of any shops, professionals, associations or companies that help to live in a healthier and more ecological way, please feel free to share them with us on our collaborative address book.
Is there a similar measure where you live? Let us know in the comments below.
Great article, I was recently in the South of Spain for a water replenishment project. The importance of conserving water only becomes evident when you visit a place that is facing risk of little to no water availability in the future.
Thanks for your message. Indeed, this article will help understand how to save on your water bill, by bringing specific types of waste to the recycling point, but I wrote another article on how to save water as I realised how important this issue was.