The Tenerife municipality collected 1,205,560 kilos of packaging and 1,786,230 kilos of paper-cardboard between January and June, with widespread monthly increases.
The residents of La Laguna have taken the lead in recycling during the first half of 2026. The City Council has confirmed that the selective collection of lightweight packaging increased by 15.45% compared to the same period in 2025, while paper-cardboard rose by 18.46%. In total, over 1.2 million kilos of packaging and nearly 1.8 million kilos of paper and cardboard have been recovered, figures that consolidate a relentless upward trend.
Record months in packaging collection
The Councillor for Municipal Services, Fran Hernández, has highlighted the citizens' effort. "Every container and every cardboard box deposited correctly represents a direct contribution to environmental protection," he stated. The data supports him: January 2026 recorded a growth of 25.27% in packaging compared to January 2025, followed by March (17.73%) and June (15.48%). Every month of the semester has surpassed the figures from the previous year, something that had not occurred so uniformly since 2023.
Specifically, between January and June 2026, 1,205,560 kilograms of lightweight packaging were collected, compared to 1,044,650 kg in the same period of 2025. The absolute increase is nearly 161,000 kilos, equivalent to the weight of about 32 garbage trucks loaded solely with plastics, cans, and cartons. The City Council attributes this improvement to awareness campaigns and the installation of new containers in high-density population areas.
Paper and cardboard: the other side of the green coin
The recycling of paper-cardboard has also experienced a notable surge. During the first six months of 2026, 1,786,230 kilograms were recorded, compared to 1,508,000 kg in the first half of 2025. The increase is 18.46%, with significant peaks in May (24.33%), January (22.99%), and June (19.67%). Every month has surpassed the figures from the previous year, demonstrating that source separation is becoming a daily habit.
Hernández emphasized that "these results encourage us to continue reinforcing awareness actions and to keep improving selective collection services in all towns and neighbourhoods of the municipality." The councillor reminded that citizen collaboration is "essential for advancing towards a cleaner, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly city." The municipal forecast is that, if the pace continues, 2026 could close with record figures in both waste streams.
For the citizens of La Laguna, these figures have a practical interpretation: recycling is becoming easier and more common. The City Council has increased collection frequency in commercial areas and installed new containers in newly created developments. Additionally, visits by environmental educators to schools and neighbourhood associations have been scheduled to clarify doubts about what goes in each container.
"We are not lowering our guard," Hernández warned, revealing that the council is considering implementing a door-to-door collection system in the historic centre, a measure already successfully applied in other Canary municipalities such as San Cristóbal de La Laguna (the very one) or Santa Úrsula. The initiative, still in the analysis phase, could begin testing in 2027 if the technicians deem it viable.
For now, the residents of La Laguna can feel proud: they have recycled in six months the equivalent of the weight of 30 humpback whales (in packaging) and 44 African elephants (in paper). Or, put in more domestic terms, they have saved from going to landfill about 3 million plastic bottles and 4 million cardboard boxes. Not bad for a municipality that aims to be emission-neutral by 2040.
The next step, according to the councillor, is to improve the collection of organic waste, which still has room for growth. "If we separate packaging and paper well, why not do the same with food scraps?" Hernández asks. The answer, judging by the data, seems to lie in citizen awareness. And in La Laguna, that awareness is sailing smoothly.
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