Porto Ambiente is once again recognized with the ERSAR quality seal

For the third consecutive year, Porto Ambiente received the Urban Waste Management Quality Seal from the Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR), a distinction of good practices from management entities, attributed according to the quality criteria defined by the Regulatory Authority.

The distinction, given only to 15 entities, out of more than 250 existing at a national level, took place at the 16.º Fórum do Ambiente, which took place in Lisbon. For the reaffirmed attribution of this seal, factors such as recycling of selective collection waste, accessibility of the collection service (proximity to deposition equipment), economic accessibility of the service, coverage of expenses, among others, were considered.

It is recalled that Porto Ambiente has been surpassing all the targets it has set, reaching record values this year, with a recycling rate that is currently 41%, exceeding the target of 31%, and the production of selective waste of about 78 kg/inhabitant.year, a value well above the target of 61 kg/inhabitant.year.

The strong commitment to the continuous improvement of the system, namely, the reorganization and reinforcement of the ecopoints network to improve accessibility and suitability to the user, the renewal of the fleet, the strong investment in the area of bio-waste, are some of the initiatives of Porto Ambiente that support this continuous recognition as a reference company in the sector.

It should be recalled that in the previous edition of this initiative, in addition to the Quality Seal, Porto Ambiente was awarded the ERSAR Award of Excellence, as the best waste management system of 2020.

Case study in biowaste

On the first day of the Forum's work, the highlight was the sharing of success stories, with Porto Ambiente presenting its pioneering project for the selective collection of organic waste in densely populated housing areas.

This recently expanded project already involves more than 30,000 participating families and about 1,000 establishments (cafes, restaurants, canteens, markets) that have actively contributed in 2022 to the 100% organic composite recovery of more than eight thousand tons of food waste, an increase of three thousand tons compared to 2021, considering the same period. The expectation is to have full coverage in the city by the end of 2023.

The expansion of the selective collection of bio-waste is, and will continue to be, a strategic commitment of Porto Ambiente to promote the circular economy and to achieve carbon neutrality in the city, in line with the challenges of the Porto Climate Pact, whose management and coordination is in charge of Porto Ambiente.