Browsing by Author "Sousa, V."
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- Benefits of introducing door-to-door separate collection in rural areasPublication . Vaz, J.; Sousa, V.; Ferreira, CéliaThere is a pre-conception that in rural isolated areas, the production of recyclable waste is reduced and door-to-door collection schemes are not worth setting-up. This work describes the implementation of a pilot test for door-to-door collection of dry recyclable waste at a small rural site. It aims at improving the knowledge about the waste generated in rural areas and the impact on source segregation habits arising from the implementation of door-to-door collection. The strategy comprised the introduction of individual waste containers and bags at household level and setting up a waste generation monitoring and physical composition evaluation programs. The recyclable waste more than tripled after implementation of door-to-door collection, from 23 kg/inhab/year to 73 kg/inhab/year. Concomitantly, residual waste decreased from 230 kg/inhab/year to 180 kg/inhab/year. The strategy followed at the test site represented a positive incentive for householders and services to source segregate and produce less residual waste.
- Model for the separate collection of packaging waste in Portuguese low-performing recycling regionsPublication . Oliveira, V.; Sousa, V.; Vaz, J. M.; Ferreira, CéliaSeparate collection of packaging waste (glass; plastic/metals; paper/cardboard), is currently a widespread practice throughout Europe. It enables the recovery of good quality recyclable materials. However, separate collection performance are quite heterogeneous, with some countries reaching higher levels than others. In the present work, separate collection of packaging waste has been evaluated in a lowperformance recycling region in Portugal in order to investigate which factors are most affecting the performance in bring-bank collection system. The variability of separate collection yields (kg per inhabitant per year) among 42 municipalities was scrutinized for the year 2015 against possible explanatory factors. A total of 14 possible explanatory factors were analysed, falling into two groups: socio-economic/demographic and waste collection service related. Regression models were built in an attempt to evaluate the individual effect of each factor on separate collection yields and predict changes on the collection yields by acting on those factors. The best model obtained is capable to explain 73% of the variation found in the separate collection yields. The model includes the following statistically significant indicators affecting the success of separate collection yields: i) inhabitants per bring-bank; ii) relative accessibility to bring-banks; iii) degree of urbanization; iv) number of school years a ttended; and v) area. The model presented in this work was developed specifically for the bring-bank system, has an explanatory power and quantifies the impact of each factor on separate collection yields. It can therefore be used as a support tool by local and regional waste management authorities in the definition of future strategies to increase collection of recyclables of good quality and to achieve national and regional targets.
- Preliminary evaluation of the potential performance of a future PAYT system in PortugalPublication . Sousa, V.; Dinis, J.; Drumond, A.; Bonnet, M. J.; Leal, P.; Meireles, I.; Ferreira, CéliaThe use of Pay-As-You-Throw systems is a reality in several cities throughout the globe, in some cases for several year by now. In Portugal, as well as many other countries around the Mediterranean, there have been only a few experiences and limited information exists regarding their performance. In this contribution, the results of a first stage towards an experimental PAYT system recently implemented in the municipality of Cascais are detailed. The strategy involved the increase of collection points for packaging waste and the use of gamification as positive incentive. Following the infrastructure improvements, the segregated waste collection doubled from 10% to 20–21%. With the gamification, the proportion of waste segregation increased to nearly 30%.
- Separate collection of packaging waste: characterization and impactsPublication . Oliveira, V.; Vaz, João Miguel; Sousa, V.; Ferreira, CéliaThis study evaluates separate collection rate of packaging waste in the coastal area of the “Centro” region of Portugal, where collection is based on road-side waste containers. The area comprises 42 municipalities and the collection system of two waste management companies were studied: ERSUC and VALORLIS. In 2015, the average separate collection rate was 7.6% (30.7 kg person−1 year−1), in ERSUC, and 7.7% (29.2 kg person−1 year−1), in VALORLIS. Furthermore, separate collection rates varied significantly between municipalities, ranging from 4.5% to 12.6% of the total waste generated. Recyclables in unsorted waste represent a significant economic and environmental burden, and municipalities could save 8.1 million euros per year and avoid the emission of 86 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The implementation of door-to-door collection and adoption of variable waste tariffs are further efforts required to increase separate collection rate, in order to achieve national targets.