Total selective collection increased and undifferentiated collection decreased

EGF, the company responsible for the treatment and recovery of urban waste in 174 municipalities in mainland Portugal and 60% of the population, recorded a 5% increase in total selective collection in 2023, which includes packaging, wood, bio-waste and monsters.

Selective collection of paper and cardboard from the blue ecopoint increased by 1.3 per cent, and plastic and metal collection from the yellow ecopoint increased by 3.3 per cent, reflecting EGF's continued investment in increasing the collection capacity of its concessionaires, through ecopoints, door-to-door household collection and collection from businesses. The selective collection of glass goes against the growth trend, a fact that is still being studied, which indicates a change in consumption habits that could justify the -2.4% of glass packaging collected in 2023.

There was also a -1.3 per cent decrease in the reception of undifferentiated waste - still a negligible reduction in relation to waste prevention objectives, but already illustrating a downward trend.

Bio-waste collection up 24 per cent

The selective collection of bio-waste recorded a significant increase of 24%, although it should be emphasised that this is a collection that is in its initial stages throughout the country. These figures correspond to 100 of the 174 municipalities in the area of intervention of EGF's concessionaires that delivered green or food waste for recovery, totalling 100,000 tonnes.

Recovery, in the context of bio-waste, is organic. It can be valorised in two ways: to produce energy, through the biogas produced, or through composting.