Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The door-to-door selective waste collection service is being rolled out in the neighbourhood of Sant Andreu de Palomar to improve management and gain more space for local residents. The system will reach 12,000 homes in two stages, with the first to start on 24 May and the second to follow in October.

The door-to-door system involves residents separating their waste and leaving the different types outside their front doors on certain days of the week, with organic waste collected more often.

How will the service work in Sant Andreu?

• Rubbish, paper, cardboard, packaging and organic waste: outside the doors of buildings and establishments.
• Glass: in the usual containers.
• Shops: extra service, with additional collections at large establishments if needed.

Letters have been sent to local residents and visits made to shops and businesses. Between now and 22 May there will also be online sessions for all homes, material distributed such as bins for organic waste and authorised bags with chips for a whole year. Information points have also been set up at the Fabra i Coats and in Plaça de les Palmeres.

What materials will be distributed?

Each household or commercial establishment will get material for one year:

• Organic: biodegradable bags, a slatted bin for the kitchen and another with a chip to take waste out to the street.
• Plastic and rubbish: yellow and grey bags with a chip.
• Paper: no material provided. Each household or establishment will have to take out this waste in paper bags or cardboard boxes.​​​

Full information on the stages and the calendar can be found on the website for the door-to-door waste collection service in Sant Andreu.

More efficiency, convenience and quality of life

The roll-out of the door-to-door service in Sant Andreu will help improve quality of life for local people:

• Removal of 283 containers: 150 m² of extra space for pedestrians and parking spaces for bikes and motorbikes, plus loading/unloading areas.
• Less noise.
• More convenient as the service reaches people’s doorsteps.

Managing the service is also more efficient and sustainable:

• Selective waste collection doubled: the same service in the old quarter of Sarrià went from 37% to 60% in three years.
• Promotion of the reuse of waste and the circular economy.
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Cheaper: from 191 euros per household with 38% selective collections to 127 with 90%.

The door-to-door service will also be rolled out in the neighbourhoods of Horta and Sant Antoni next year.

The goal is to achieve 55% of waste recycling by 2025, as set out in European directives. At present the figure is 38%.