The Portuguese recycle more and more, with 346,327 tonnes of packaging collected in the national recycling bins in the first nine months of 2022
This figure translates into a 6% increase, compared to the same period in 2021, with glass being the best-performing material, with 167,105 tonnes collected (+10%).
According to the press release, "packaging continues to be the only municipal waste stream to meet the Recycling targets in Portugal". On the other hand, glass is the material that continues to present challenges and "which has been motivating the implementation of a specific strategy to increase the selective collection of this material".
However, according to data from the Integrated System for Packaging Waste Management (SIGRE), the continuous growth of glass recycling rates, reveals the impact of the measures that are being put into practice in the country.
Part of this strategy is the "More Glass, More Recycling" project launched by Sociedade Ponto Verde and the Association of Glass Packaging Industries (AIVE) earlier this year, which aims to facilitate the recycling process in Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafés (HORECA).
The note states that "more than 400 commercial establishments have already joined this program, which also includes the installation of 270 glass panes with assisted baldeamento".
The effectiveness of installing glass panes with this innovative system can be seen in the results obtained in several municipalities and, consequently, in the global recycling data from January to September of this year. Until the month of August, the municipality of Vizela registered an increase of 64% in collected glass, and Guimarães a growth of 12%.
"Watching the continuous growth of numbers in the selective collection of packaging waste, with remarkable performance in glass, which is the material whose recycling rate most needs to grow until 2025 (19%), is a reason for great satisfaction. The innovation and cooperation strategy of Sociedade Ponto Verde has been oriented towards more convenience in the solutions available to citizens and commercial establishments that enable people to recycle more and better," says Sociedade Ponto Verde's CEO, Ana Trigo Morais, quoted in the document.
The performance data of the Integrated Management System of Urban Packaging Waste in the first nine months of the year also reveal that 106,317 tonnes of paper/cardboard and 59,608 tonnes of plastic were sent for recycling. A 3% growth in these materials compared to the same period in 2021.