Three schools in the municipality will participate in a pilot project to prevent food waste.

The initiative is part of the European Life GreenMe5 program, in which Murcia is integrated along with four other European municipalities, and includes the development of a guide of good practices that other cities can replicate.

Starting in September, students and teachers from three primary schools in the municipality of Murcia will participate in a circular economy pilot project aimed at quantifying and combating food waste in school cafeterias.

This is one of the actions of the European Life GreenMe5 project, which aims to facilitate the implementation of the Green City Accord in five EU municipalities, including Murcia, Arezzo (Italy), Helsingborg (Sweden), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Cieza. Coordination is the responsibility of the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia (FMRM).

Last Friday, at the proposal of the Councilor for Open Government, Economic Promotion, and Employment, Mercedes Bernabé, the Local Government Board approved the participation of the Murcia City Council in this initiative, as well as the acceptance of a grant of €209.786,98 from European Union funds.

"With this project, we will advance one of the main pillars of the circular economy: reducing food waste. In Europe, each citizen wastes an average of 127 kilograms per year, which ends up directly in landfills. Awareness-raising activities will be carried out on this issue, as it is vital, from childhood, to educate people on a more sustainable way of relating to our environment, making the most of the resources it provides," announced Councilor Mercedes Bernabé.

The three schools participating in the food waste reduction initiative will be selected soon, jointly by the Department of Open Government, Economic Development, and Employment, led by Mercedes Bernabé, and the Department of Education and Citizen Services, led by Belén López Cambronero.

Among other actions, the Murcia City Council will develop a manual of best practices, which could serve as a model for other cities. A baseline will also be created on the state of food waste in our schools, allowing us to understand our starting point and improve it. Finally, the possibility of a food network will be studied, for use in other centers or organizations.

Finally, the possibility of creating a food network will be studied, so that it can be used in other centers or organizations.

Greenme5 owes its name to the project's five pillars of the Green City Accord, a European movement that strives to improve the quality of air, water, green spaces, noise reduction, and the circular economy in urban areas. Murcia City Council joined this agreement on February 5, 12.