The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government inaugurated this Tuesday morning on the Islote de Fermina (Arrecife) the European workshop “Waste Management on Islands: Towards a Circular Model,” organized in collaboration with the Clean Energy for EU Islands project and framed within the community initiative “30 for 2030,” which supports 30 European islands—including La Graciosa and La Palma—in their plans towards energy independence based on 100% renewable sources.
For two days, public officials, companies, organizations, national and international specialists, and interested individuals will **analyze the specific challenges of island territories in terms of waste, circular economy, and sustainability**, as well as the opportunities offered by the European framework for implementing innovative and replicable solutions.
In addition, the second day will include this Wednesday a **technical visit to the island of La Graciosa**, one of the Spanish islands adhering to the European initiative
The Deputy Minister of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Energy, Julieta Schallenberg, presided over the opening of the event alongside the coordinator of the technical secretariat of Clean Energy for EU Islands, Martina Cannata; the Director General of Ecological Transition and Fight Against Climate Change, Ángel Montañés; the Minister of Biosphere Reserve, Environment and Climate Change of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Samuel Martín; and the Councilor for Environment and Beaches of the Arrecife City Council, Davinia Pérez.
Schallenberg highlighted during the opening that "this working day allows the Canary Islands to learn and share best practices, strengthen capacities, and advance in the implementation of circular economy strategies adapted to island territories."In addition, he recalled that the 30 for 2030 initiative "offers technical support to European islands to plan and execute their transition towards sustainable energy systems, promoting projects that go beyond renewable energies and cover areas such as water, mobility, and waste management."Martina Cannata highlighted that the European initiative offers three years of technical assistance **to 30 European islands —including La Palma and La Graciosa—** to accelerate their transition towards clean energy systems and achieve, before 2030, a model based on 100% renewable energies
As a representative of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, councilor Samuel Martín took the opportunity to thank the Clean Energy for Islands program for facilitating the meeting of professionals and interested parties in the circular economy and waste management, a thank you that was joined by the councilor for Environment and Beaches of the Arrecife City Council, Davinia Pérez, who highlighted the emblematic space of the Islote de Fermina for events of an international nature such as this workshop.
Davinia Déniz, furthermore, highlighted that Arrecife, as the capital of the Biosphere Reserve, will always promote and support initiatives like this to achieve greater citizen awareness and involvement in preserving the environment, through responsible waste management.
The planned program includes the participation of the Director General of Ecological Transition and Fight against Climate Change of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Montañés, with the presentation "Canary Islands, unique characteristics and challenges," in addition to contributions from other professionals specialized in the challenges and characteristics of the Canary Islands regarding waste, the life cycle of waste and island particularities, reduction and prevention strategies, circular economy in islands, and waste valorization models, with success stories such as that of the Gipuzkoa Waste Consortium (GHK).
This workshop, held today in Lanzarote and continuing tomorrow in La Graciosa, is part of a series of 20 thematic meetings taking place between 2024 and 2026 to strengthen capacities in the 30 selected islands and promote exportable solutions to other island territories in Europe and worldwide.