The business federation endorses the commitment to promoting exemplary practices in the use of infrastructure that guarantees the collection and treatment of waste
Representatives of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs (FEHT) of Las Palmas met days ago with directors and technical managers of the Canaragua company to address the state of the sanitation networks in the tourist area of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, in order to to influence their most relevant problems and possible solutions, in collaboration with the Tirajan City Council.
In the meeting with Canaragua, as a concessionaire company for the water supply, sanitation, purification and reuse service in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, two members of the FEHT board of directors participated: its vice president, Tom Smulders, in turn president of the Association of Tourist Accommodation Businessmen (AEAT), and Fermín Sánchez, also president of the Association of Bars, Cafes, Restaurants and Leisure Businessmen of Las Palmas (AEBCRyO). For the Canaragua company, Jaime Planells, its area director in the south of Gran Canaria, and the engineer Mónica Henríquez participated. Also attending were Óscar Santana, public services technician at the council, and Matías González, sustainability expert at the Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (Tides) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The meeting, at the request of the FEHT, addressed some recent events regarding the state of the sanitation network in the tourist area of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, which have forced work to be carried out by the concessionaire company. Some of these, being carried out at night due to the difficulties that repairs entail while economic activities are carried out in the surroundings, have caused noise and disturbances in hotel facilities in the tourist area, issues that, the FEHT suggested, must be avoided when may be possible.
The person in charge of Canaragua in the southern area of Gran Canaria highlighted that a good part of the problems with the sanitation network come as a consequence of its incorrect use, and stressed that the greatest damage to underground pipes and purification facilities is caused by solid products, especially sanitary wipes, which are already a recycling problem on an international scale.
The spilling of oils into the network and not into the containers provided for this purpose also causes damage to the infrastructure, which apart from avoiding spills opens the door to its reuse as biodiesel. Jaime Planells stressed that these two practices are mainly responsible for the obstruction of the sanitation networks in the area and explained, in a subsequent visit to the field, the methods used by the concessionaire company to detect and repair these breakdowns.
On behalf of the FEHT, Tom Smulders reiterated the commitment of tourism entrepreneurs, both hotel and non-hotel, to sustainability as a concept that must be brought to practical terms, “assuming clear responsibilities, as we have done in the recent signing of the document on tourism coming out of the Glasgow Climate Summit, but also with concrete actions such as promoting excellent behavior in the use of sanitation networks.” The businessman encouraged, in particular, "to better indicate on the packaging of the towels the damage that they can cause if they are discharged into the sanitation network," and stressed the firm commitment of tourism businessmen in the adoption of all measures. of respect for the environmental sustainability of the municipality and the tourist areas of the island. He cited batteries as another recyclable item to seriously consider.
This commitment was reiterated by Fermín Sánchez, in his capacity as president of the restaurant businessmen, recalling that exemplary practices must be adopted by the entire sector and recalling the environmental efficiency measures adopted by restaurant businesses on the island of Gran Canaria, “especially in waste treatment and the promotion of recycling and the circular economy,” he noted.
