Onda Cero Valladolid (Spain) held its first awards gala yesterday in a night where “the commitment, dedication and effort of Valladolid society over the last year” filled the Miguel Delibes Auditorium with a special light. Valomask project, coordinated by FCC Medio Ambiente and of which CARTIF is a member, was one of the nine protagonists of the night, winning the Sustainability and Environment award.
Valomask has won this award representing the great commitment with which the initiative was born: to support the proper management of protective material waste in the context of COVID19, such as face masks. “The project was born with the sole intention of providing a solution to one of the major environmental problems arising from COVID19 and which had not been effectively managed since the pandemic began”, says María Victoria Martínez, CARTIF researcher.
Following the exponential increase in the amount of discarder personal protective equipment, such as a face masks, the project emerged as an alternative to generate bioproducts of different types and with varius applications from them. Valomask integrates its CTR treatment and its subsequent valorisation and bioconversion into useful products for other sectors.
However, the most emotional moment of the evening came with the presentation of the Honorary Award to Vicente Ballester, a journalist who shared 25 years at Onda Cero with programmes such as ‘Valladolid en la Onda’ or ‘Protagonistas’ and to whom his colleagues wanted to pay a special tribute.
In addition to Valomask, 8 other categories were awarded: ‘Social Commitment’ was collected by the young Ukrainian Ana Boryachenco; ‘Sports’ was honoured by the canoeist Patricia Coco; ‘Science and Technology’ was for the University of Valladolid and the Perseverance project; ‘Business’ to the biotechnology firm Amadix; ‘Young Values’ was awarded to Mónica Padilla, the young woman who has achieved the best mark in the whole country in the Resident Intern Examination; ‘Health’ went to the renowned gynaecologist Ángela Santaolaya; ‘Tourism’ was awarded to the National Contest of Pinchos y Tapas of Valladolid.