Aveiro knows the physical composition of the waste produced in the Forca neighbourhood

As part of the European project LIFE PAYT, the characterization of urban waste in the demonstration area was carried out. The main objective was to evaluate the quantity and composition of the waste produced by the inhabitants and commercial sector of that area. Over 4 days (8, 9, 13 and 14 June), SUMA carried out a circuit dedicated to Bairro da Forca, and 26 urbanization 800-liter containers were analyzed, which includes multifamily buildings, houses, shops (restaurants , cafes, health services), serving about 1150 inhabitants.

It is estimated that in Forca, the average production of undifferentiated urban waste is 341 kg / inhab./year, a value below the average production for the entire municipality. The results of the characterization show that most of the waste (59.8%) is biodegradable. Following are the various types of recyclable waste, 9% paper and cardboard; plastics are 5.6% (packaging and non-packaging); 5.1% glass; metals correspond to 0.8%; composites 1.1% and hazardous waste 1.3%. Sanitary textiles represent about 7.4% and clothing textiles 3.1%. The presence in the containers of a high amount of hospital waste (0.8% of the characterized sample, totaling 15.65 kg) stands out.
Therefore, about 22% of all waste generated is liable to be placed in drop-off facilities, thus estimating that 73 tonnes of recyclable waste are mixed with undifferentiated waste per year.

At the end of the Project, the intention is to repeat the survey to analyze the behavioral changes driven by LIFE PAYT.

The goal of this campaign is to know the composition of the waste produced in the undifferentiated Bairro da Forca in Aveiro. Over 4 days, SUMA conducted a dedicated circuit to the neighbourhood. Waste, referred to the facilities of ERSUC were analysed by ECOGESTUS company.

Together with other actions, the results of this campaign will identify the current waste practices assisting in the communication strategy definition developed for the district. This campaign is part of the project LIFE PAYT, a project funded by the European Union, which has as main objective the implementation in the municipality of a PAYT system – “pay only what it produces”.