Free surplus meals from 8am at Les Monges
La Seu d'Urgell activated the Rexcatering project yesterday, launching a vending machine that dispenses surplus school meals free of charge. The initiative, installed in the lobby of the Les Monges municipal building, provides portions of food prepared at the Institut Joan Brudieu’s kitchen from the previous day’s excess. Each morning, the machine is stocked with meals such as lentils and omelette, 30 portions were available on its first day, and remains accessible during Les Monges’ opening hours: 8am to 10pm on weekdays.
Pioneering anti-waste system from Basque Country
The scheme, promoted by the Fundación Residuo Cero (FRC) and the Plataforma Aprofitem els Aliments, follows a model imported from the Basque Government, where similar systems operate in around 40 collective dining facilities. This makes La Seu d'Urgell’s machine the fifth of its kind in Catalonia and the second in the Lleida Pyrenees, after Bellver de Cerdanya set up a reference unit last year.
This is about stopping good food from being thrown away while helping people eat well.
Gaby Susana, from the Plataforma Aprofitem els Aliments, said the project ensures edible food is redistributed rather than discarded.
Funded by regional government with tech monitoring
The project received over €11,000 in funding through the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, with 80% financed by the Catalan government. The system includes temperature-controlled equipment: a rapid cooler to bring food from 65°C to 4°C, heat-sealing machines, compostable packaging, and digital labelling. It also uses an online platform to track both surplus generated and meals collected, aiming to help adjust future meal production volumes at the school kitchen.
Residents can collect meals daily at Les Monges from now until September 2027, when a symbolic price may be introduced.
Reported by segre.com, Joan Antoni Guerrero Vall, lavanguardia.com, lloret.cat, bellver.org, Eusko Jaurlaritza - Gobierno Vasco, Segre.
