The Regional Director for the Environment stated in Horta that the recycling of urban packaging waste in the Azores grew 7.2% in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2016.
Hernâni Jorge spoke at the end of a meeting with the representatives of Urban Waste Management Systems (SGRU) from the nine islands of the Azores, where the impacts of the Integrated Packaging Waste Management System (SIGRE) has been in force since the beginning of the year.
The Regional Director pointed out "the fact that the Region recovered 7.2% more of urban packaging when this figure is dropping 1.1% at national level." The government official also highlighted the work carried out by SGRU and some regional collection system, which counter a negative trend nationwide in a very critical period.
"With regard to the recovery of organic waste by composting, the Region's systems registered an increase of 35% compared to last year's figures, which evidences a considerable effort in the recovery of urban waste," stressed the government official.
Hernâni Jorge also mentioned that the meeting addressed some specific topics related to the activity of SGRU as follows: "the operation of Terceira Energy Recovery Centre; the development phase of São Miguel Ecopark, with special emphasis on the beginning of the construction of the new Sorting Centre; the procedures for the transport of scrap and the accumulation of environmental liabilities in some Waste Processing Centres."
As for environmental liabilities, Hernâni Jorge assured that the "situation has already been solved on the island of Faial by means of a special scrap transport operation to the island of Terceira and the use of scrap in the sealing works of the landfill that are currently underway."
The Regional Director also stated the entity managing the Graciosa and São Jorge Centres has made the commitment to increase the movement of recyclable materials and scrap throughout the months of September and October. The process will be monitored by the Regional Directorate for the Environment.
Hernâni Jorge also pointed out that "the Region is developing procedures and waste managing entities in order to optimise and stabilise the activity of the Waste Processing Centre."
The Government plans to install an undifferentiated waste sorting line on the island of São Jorge and, under the construction contract warranties, and to carry out an intervention to repair the facilities of Graciosa Waste Processing Centre; both procedures are due to start later this year.
From next year, the Faial and São Jorge Waste Processing Centres will have new solutions for the storage of scrap in order to avoid the use of specific containers and extend the range of options for the transport of this type of material.