This week, EMULSA restarted its free services of collecting unwanted goods to be re-used or recycled.
The service was suspended on 20 March after the announcement of the state of emergency in Spain due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The measures put in place were to help protect the health of EMULSA employees and develop a reorganisation of the essential services of the municipal company.
During the first few days post-lockdown, more than a thousand citizens called EMULSA, requesting the collection of their old furniture.
Free of charge, EMULSA may recuperate old furniture that is in poor condition, by providing citizens with a specific date, time and collection point. The goods collected will be recycled rather than incinerated. For furniture that is in good condition, and thus fit for re-use, EMAUS-Riquirraque also provides a free service based on door-to-door collection. After being reviewed, the items will be put for sale in one of the many NGOs' second-hand stores in Gijón or Avilés, with which EMULSA signed an agreement in March 2018. Part of the circular economy model, these essential services contribute to the reduction of waste and improvement of resource-efficiency.
In 2019 alone, the municipality of Gijón registered an increase in the total tonnes of furniture collected, reaching 3,625 tonnes - representing a 4% increase compared to 2018.
