The latest data show the stagnation of Barcelona and its surroundings when separating garbage. The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona is the region of Catalonia with less recycling percentage: only the 38% of waste. The rest, six out of every ten kilos of discarded garbage, ends up in the container for the rest. To turn this situation around, the Government calls for implementing methods such as door to door collection.
The conclusions of this last balance are important because they place the most populated cities in a very negative scenario. The European Union’s objectives are far away and the recycling average for all of Catalonia is weighed down by data from cities such as Barcelona, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Santa Coloma de Gramenet or Badalona.
“The time has come for big cities to get their act together and change their model”
According to Isac Peraire, director of the Waste Agency of Catalonia (ARC), the time has come for the big cities: “We have supported them through subsidies that promote efficient collection systems. Manresa and Mataró are an example.” Give your opinion Peraire that if the current system, with classic recycling containers, is not changed, there is no room for improvement: “We have already reached the limit of what we can achieve in this system. What corresponds now is to move towards other models“. The Government has finalized the Catalan waste law, a text that comes with long delayin which there will be a big bet on door-to-door.
Little improvement
Of the regions of Barcelona analyzed, the Maresme is the one who gets a best index selective collection, 46%. The worst, after the metropolitan area, is Baix Llobregat, with 42%. Vallès Occidental reaches 43% and Vallès Oriental 44%. In recent years, it has always oscillated between 30% and 40%, without any positive trend.
Why is door to door the best method according to the Acció Climàtica department? Peraire has explained that almost all municipalities that apply this model exceed 50% of well-separated garbage. In fact, the five towns with the best data (Matadepera, Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana, Ullastrell, Sant Esteve de Palautordera and Rellinars, all of them in Vallès) used this formula, in which waste is collected house by house. These municipalities almost had 90% selective collection.
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And wouldn’t smart containers, those that open with a chip when the user claims it, be a good option? Peraire believes that any efficient method is good, but he warns that the most effective is door-to-door.
In total, during the last year, without counting the debris from the works, these five regions (Los dos Vallès, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès and Maresme) generated 2.1 million tons of waste. This is 1.4% less than in 2021. Continuing to reduce the amount of waste is important, but it must also be separated appropriately. And the problem is that of these 2.1 million tons, 60% end up in the gray container.