The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment announced today that the Government of the Azores has invested in the current legislative period nearly three million Euros in contract works for the sealing of dumps on the islands of Flores, Graciosa, Santa Maria and Corvo.
Luís Neto Viveiros spoke during a visit to the works for the sealing of the dump and the construction of an inert landfill on the island of Corvo, which is nearing completion. The government official stressed that, after the construction of the Network of Waste Processing Centres, "the political options taken by the Government of the Azores in waste management stipulate that its deposition in landfill be reduced to the minimum and that the current disposal sites (dumps and landfills) be subject to sealing and landscape recovery interventions. "
The Secretary for the Environment also added that the sealing of Faial landfill, whose contract has already been awarded for the price of 600 thousand Euros, is due to start on October 3.
The contract work for the sealing of dumps on São Jorge Island is awaiting approval by the Court of Auditors and will be awarded for the price of one million Euros.
The sealing works of Corvo dump and the construction of an inert landfill, included in the Regional Public Works Charter, was awarded for the price of 400 thousand Euros and is due to be completed this month.
The work was intended to solve environmental problems caused by the existence of an open dump, namely the impacts of air and water quality on public health as well as on landscape quality.
The construction of the inert landfill will provide Corvo with the necessary conditions for the disposal of construction and demolition waste produced on the island, which currently lacks an appropriate final destination.
This landfill is solely intended for the deposit of non-hazardous building demolition waste that cannot be recycled or reused in other works.