Barcelona’s MWC26 Donation Room has recovered 9 tonnes of materials and furniture for local social projects, according to the Barcelona City Council press room. The items will now support 35 social entities across Barcelona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
The scheme is run by GSMA, Barcelona City Council and L’Hospitalet City Council. It collected 113 types of materials, including tables, chairs and reusable panels, with 4,010 individual units recovered. The estimated market value of the items is €38,019.68, and the reuse effort avoided 8,873 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Fifteen of the beneficiary organisations are in Barcelona and 20 are in L’Hospitalet. They will use the donated materials for social, cultural and community projects. For readers following local reuse and waste reduction work, see our Community coverage and Sport updates.
The Donation Room has been running since 2016, giving MWC Barcelona exhibitors a way to donate unwanted materials after the event. This year’s collection involved 36 people, including 20 staff from the Formació i Treball Foundation and 16 from GSMA. Three vehicles made 64 trips across the metropolitan area to move the materials.
The council also said more exhibitors are now choosing reuse or rental models for their stands, or lighter, more digital setups. It added that 80% of exhibitors identified as potential donors already use reuse or rental models for their displays.
Unlike previous years, the Donation Room could not collect materials during the setup phase. In earlier editions, that stage recovered more than 9 tonnes of construction waste. Barcelona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat now want to find new ways to channel surplus materials from setup into social and community projects. Read the Barcelona City Council press release.
