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Mining and quarrying were important economic activities in Europe in past centuries, but during the 20th century, raw materials became vital to societal development. Mining has been subject to fluctuations related to wars, economic crises, and advances in environmental rights. A series of events led some European countries, such as Spain, to assume a leading position in the market for certain raw materials, such as tungsten. However, most of Europe's mines have been abandoned. This paper considers several postindustrial heritage sites that can used to illustrate how metal and stone were extracted in past centuries. Such sites have become a tourist attraction in the context of heritage in some countries. This area in western Spain, which contains ancestral quarries that helped build the architectural heritage of UNESCO World Heritage Cities and artisanal mines that contributed to building the economy of an extremely poor population, has a story to tell. All these mines and quarries can be used to explain the cultural heritage of the area as part of a postindustrial heritage landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals generate huge amounts of nonwoven residues daily. This paper focused on studying the evolution of nonwoven waste generated in the Francesc de Borja Hospital, Spain, over the last few years and its relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective was to identify the most impacting pieces of nonwoven equipment in the hospital and to analyze possible solutions. The carbon footprint of the nonwoven equipment was studied through a life-cycle assessment. The results showed an apparent increase in the carbon footprint in the hospital from 2020. Additionally, due to the higher annual volume, the simple nonwoven gown used primarily for patients had a higher carbon footprint over a year than the more sophisticated surgical gowns. It can be concluded that developing a local circular economy strategy for medical equipment could be the solution to avoid the enormous waste generation and the carbon footprint of nonwoven production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]