Faced with the growing problems associated with the use of plastic, from its production to its disposal, and which becomes, namely, a threat to watercourses, several strategies are emerging around the world as a way to mitigate these impacts.
Having said this, the Municipality of Guimarães has established a strategy for the elimination and reduction of single-use plastics, focusing on raising awareness among citizens and on the production of alternatives, establishing partnerships and promoting ecological purchases.
The diagnosis of places that most use single-use plastic identified the Municipal Market as one of the priority places to intervene. Thus, the action started with an appeal for the use of cloth bags with the campaign “I don’t use Plastic”. The second step came with the annual distribution of over 75,000 fruit and vegetable bags, 100% compostable, distributed to traders in the Guimarães Municipal Market, integrated in the Landscape Lab’s Aqualastic project.
These bags have numerous advantages over traditional plastics as they break down in a short space of time.
This strategy is in line with the commitments assumed in the declaration of Plastics Reduction promoted by the biggest European Cities network – EUROCIES and in the European declaration of Circular Cities, of which Guimarães was one of the first signatories.