MOTA-ENGIL ENVIRONMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT THE WORLD'S LARGEST WASTE CONGRESS
Emídio Pinheiro, CEO of Mota-Engil Environment, participates in ISWA 2024 and shares the sector's challenges with his peers
Mota-Engil Environment is present, as a speaker and sponsor, at the annual Congress of ISWA 2024, the International Solid Waste Association, which kicked off yesterday in Cape Town, South Africa, and runs until the 18th.
At the largest World Congress in the waste sector, paths, strategies and solutions for the future of sustainability are being debated, with a focus on waste management and the planet's resources.
Emídio Pinheiro, CEO of Mota-Engil Environment, attended the ISWA Congress today with the ideas, strategies and knowledge that the company has acquired through its experience of operating in various markets over the years.
“It is extremely important for us to be here today, as speakers and sponsors, on a stage where all the world's resource managers are. Tomorrow, the future, began many years ago and we need to join forces to make the sustainability of our resources a reality. The way we treat waste and reinvent the course of the road allows us to work towards better solutions and to establish our commitment to sustainability with greater conviction.” - says the CEO of Mota-Engil Environment, Emídio Pinheiro.
ISWA is an international network of professionals and world experts in waste and the circular economy, whose mission is to promote the sustainable and professional development of waste management at a global level with a view to the transition to a circular economy.
The ISWA World Congress is an annual event that began in 1972 and is considered to be the sector's main waste management event, taking place in different cities every year. This year was the first time the Congress was organized in Africa.
More about ISWA: https://www.iswa.org/
More about ISWA World Congress 2024: https://iswa2024.org/
EGF PROMOTES "OPEN DOORS"
This initiative is a unique opportunity to show local communities our facilities and learn more about waste treatment and recovery processes.
EGF Group companies are opening their doors on March 23 with the aim of bringing local communities closer together. These visits allow citizens to learn about the processes related to the collection and recovery of urban waste and raise awareness of good environmental practices and recycling.
On this day, when the EGF Group companies will be open to the public, it will be possible to understand what happens to the waste after it has been placed in the respective containers, deconstruct myths about recycling and clarify the rules for the correct separation of waste.
This initiative reflects the commitment of EGF and its concessionaires, whose priority in their activity is to provide a public service of excellence in favor of the entire community and environmental sustainability.
Registration is free and limited to existing places. To take part in this initiative, find out which facilities and times are available and sign up:
Information for the visit:
- It is MANDATORY to wear closed, flat shoes and clothing.
- Personal protective equipment will be available during the visit.
- Participants can bring recyclable waste (paper/cardboard, plastic/metal/drink cartons and glass).
Facilities and timetables available:
Total selective collection increases and undifferentiated collection decreases
EGF, the company responsible for the treatment and recovery of urban waste from 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 bulky waste.
The selective collection of paper and cardboard in the blue ecopoint increased by 1.3% and that of plastic and metal in the yellow ecopoint increased by 3.3%, reflecting EGF's continuous investment in increasing the collection capacity of its concessionaires, through ecopoints, door-to-door home collection and collection in companies. The selective collection of glass runs counter to the growth trend, a fact that is still being studied, indicating a change in consumption habits that could justify the -2.4% of glass packaging collected in 2023.
There was also a decrease of -1.3% in the reception of undifferentiated waste - still a negligible reduction in relation to waste prevention objectives, but already illustrating a downward trend.
Collection of bio-waste increased by 24%
The selective collection of bio-waste registered a significant increase of 24%, although it should be noted that this collection is at an early stage 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, a total of 100,000 tons.
In the context of bio-waste, recovery is organic. It can be recovered in two ways: in the production of energy, through the biogas produced, or through composting.
About EGF
EGF is a leading European company in the environmental sector and a leader in the treatment and recovery of waste in Portugal. As part of the MOTA-ENGIL Group, it is responsible for ensuring the treatment and recovery of waste in the most environmentally correct and economically sustainable way, contributing to improving the quality of life and the environment.
The waste treatment and recovery systems are managed by 11 concession companies (Algar, Amarsul, Ersuc, Resiestrela, Resinorte, Resulima, Suldouro, Valorlis, Valorminho, Valnor, Valorsul), set up in partnership with the municipalities they serve, which process around 3.3 million tons of municipal waste (MW) every year, serving a population of 6.2 million people spread over 174 municipalities, in an area equivalent to 60% of Portugal's territory.
