The Cabildo of Lanzarote, through its Ecological Transition Employment Plan (PETE), has removed more than 800 tons of waste from different areas of the island and another 21 of plastic.
This was reported by the Employment Councilor of the island executive, Jorge Peñas, who defined that this project "has been an opportunity, not only to improve the employability of the participants, but also to grow towards a sustainable, competitive and inclusive economy."
This initiative has lasted nine months, during which conditioning, cleaning and maintenance work has been carried out in different natural spaces of Lanzarote, "thus contributing to a sustainable management of resources and the fight against climate change, as well as to the knowledge and integration in the participants themselves of the environmental values of our environment”, added Peñas.
Likewise, 54 people have been hired through this Employment Plan, who also, during the development of their work, have received training in occupational risk prevention, environmental awareness and equal opportunities between men and women.
The PETE has had a budget of almost one million euros, co-financed by the Canarian Employment Service (SCE) and the State Public Employment Service, charged to the Comprehensive Employment Plan of the Canary Islands.
Cleaning, recovery of trails and cultivation actions
As the counselor has detailed, specifically “through the PETE more than 800 tons of rubble have been removed in different neighborhoods and roads of Arrecife and another 21 tons of plastic have been collected from the surroundings of Zonzamas”.
But beyond this, other types of tasks have been carried out, such as cleaning the entire coastline of the island, as well as in urban and rural environments, with the collaboration of the town councils.
Similarly, in cooperation with the Máguez Nature Classroom, nine trails on the island have been conditioned, in which invasive plant species have been eradicated, the main roads have been made visible and the secondary roads opened by hikers outside the route of the trails have been eliminated.
In addition to this, there is the work of a team dedicated to ecological cultivation in the Agricultural Biodiversity Center of Lanzarote (CBAL), having carried out agricultural work of up to 800 plant species between vines, prickly pears and other fruit trees, and harvested almost half a ton of onions and native grains.
In Peñas' opinion and based on the results obtained, this plan has been concluded "successfully".
