Have you ever wondered what happens to the bitter oranges that fill the streets of Barcelona with color in winter? From February 6 to 11, the city will launch the sixth edition of #BarcelonaEspigola, the community initiative to collect these citrus fruits and give them a second life.
This solidarity action will recover the bitter oranges and transform them into “La Marga,” a natural jam made in the im-perfect® social workshop. The final product will be distributed through social and neighborhood organizations in each district to people experiencing food poverty or at risk of social exclusion.
In this 6th edition, the project continues to grow and this year will be carried out in eight districts of the city. In addition to the usual districts of Gràcia, Les Corts, Sant Martí, Ciutat Vella, Sant Andreu, l’Eixample, and Horta-Guinardó, the district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi will be added for the first time.
During these days, volunteers, educational centers, and neighborhood organizations will comb the streets to collect fruit. The main activity open to the general public will take place this weekend:
- Saturday, February 7: Ciutat Vella (Raval) and Sant Martí.
- Sunday, February 8: Gràcia and Horta-Guinardó.
Registration for this weekend’s public collections in Ciutat Vella, Sant Martí, Gràcia, and Horta-Guinardó is already closed.
In the other districts (Sant Andreu, Les Corts, l’Eixample, and the newcomer Sarrià-Sant Gervasi), collection will be carried out directly with schools and local organizations, without a form open to the general public.
How this jam is made
Photo: barcelonaespigola
Once collected, the oranges do not go straight into the pot. The Public Health Agency will first analyze the fruit to ensure its safety.
They will then be processed in the social and occupational integration workshop, closing a circular and green economy cycle that turns urban waste into a social resource.
The initiative, promoted by the City Council and Parcs i Jardins, seeks not only to make use of food, but also to raise awareness. For this reason, the Espigoladors Foundation will also hold workshops in educational centers to reflect on food waste and the right to sustainable food.
In the previous edition in 2025, the initiative involved more than 550 volunteers who managed to recover more than 5,000 kilos of bitter oranges.
A total of 13,400 jars of “La Marga” jam were produced and donated to social organizations. It should be noted that Barcelona has more than 3,300 orange trees, with Sant Andreu being the district with the highest concentration of these trees (and where the project was born in 2021).