Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The fifteen smart containers for organic waste are the first to come into service in the city, replacing the individual bins and representing one of the most notable changes introduced into the door-to-door collection system.

The changes, proposed and discussed within the context of the monitoring commission, are mainly geared towards greater flexibility in the collection of organic waste. Besides the fifteen containers, 48 recycling deposits have been introduced since October, complementing the initial 22 and those for residents in buildings with more than 20 homes. The collection system for all other types of waste remains unchanged.

Discount and reduction in noise

A 30% discount has also been introduced in the household waste collection tax for all those living in the area covered by the door-to-door service who deposit organic waste at least forty times in a year.

Other measures introduced in recent months relate to reducing noise during waste collections. Besides changing routes to minimise manoeuvres by vehicles, six collection vehicles have been replaced by 5 natural gas lorries and 1 electric vehicle, the last of which arrived this week.

New information point

A new information point has also been set up to help people become familiar with the changes. The point will operate until 29 January, providing information and distributing key fobs for the deposits and containers in Plaça de les Palmeres. These will be in service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3 pm to 8 pm, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from 10 am to 3 pm. The office located at the Fabra i Coats site will continue to operate. The door-to-door service also offers information on its own specific website.

Higher percentage than established

Selective waste collection through the door-to-door system in Sant Andreu de Palomar remains stable at around 80%, a percentage above the figure established in the Metropolitan Programme for the Prevention and Management Municipal Resources and Waste 2017-2025 and the Metropolitan Zero Waste Agreement, which set the goal at 55% for 2025, 60% for 2030 and 65% for 2035. However, in the city as a whole, selective waste collection remains at a standstill around 38%.

Besides being based on an obligatory European directive, the separation of different types of waste brings management costs down significantly as when it is not applied the collection and recycling cost is higher per inhabitants.