Strategic Waste Prevention and Waste Management Programme for Azores 20+ approved by Parliament - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

The Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores approved on Wednesday the Strategic Waste Prevention and Management Programme for Azores 20+ (PEPGRA 20+), submitted by the Regional Government of the Azores.

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, stated that "the waste management policy poses a huge challenge, especially complex in an archipelago and outermost region such as the Azores. As such, it requires a strong and well-defined strategy, based on the principles of sustainability and circular economy while respecting the waste management hierarchy."

"We fulfill another commitment made under the Programme of the Government for this legislative period with the submission of this proposal. It implements the revision of the Strategic Waste Prevention and Management Programme (PEPGRA), incorporating changes resulting from aspects identified in the mid-term evaluations. The proposal intends to adapt this strategy to the current economic, social and environmental conditions of the Region as well as to bring the regional legislation in line with the current EU regulatory framework in terms of waste prevention and management," said the government official during the parliamentary debate.

PEPGRA 20+ focuses on three strategic goals: the prevention of waste production and its impact on the environment; the promotion of integrated and sustainable waste management; and the promotion of efficiency in the use of resources, contributing to a circular economy.

According to Alonso Miguel, in defining the strategy of PEPGRA 20+, were considered the specificities of the Region, which are characterized by constraints in terms of creating economies of scale, inter-regional cooperation, constraints resulting from increased tourism activity, geographical dispersion of the population, multiplication of infrastructures, transport logistics and the discrepancy between islands, which, in general, hinder and make waste management more costly in the Region.

"PEPGRA 20+ reinforces the order of priorities established in the waste management hierarchy, focusing on the development of new and stronger axes of action, aligned with the strategic challenges taken on by the European Union, namely: Production Prevention, Selective Collection of Bio-waste, Selective Collection of Textiles, Fight against Food Waste, Selective Collection of Household Hazardous Waste, the Target for Preparation of Urban Waste Reuse and Recycling and the Target for Urban Waste Disposal in Landfils as well as the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy," he stressed.

Alonso Miguel also stressed that "waste management in the Region has been undergoing a very positive evolution, as a result of the public policies and projects developed by the Regional Government during this Legislative Period, such as, for example, the project for the implementation of the Deposit System for Non-reusable Beverage Packaging in the Azores, with the installation of 25 reverse logistics machines in all municipalities of the Region. It represented an investment exceeding one million Euros by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change."

"This positive development will be significantly reinforced, starting with the implementation of 95 measures provided for in PEPGRA 20+, but also with the completion of other relevant ongoing projects: the Restructuring and equipping of Waste Processing Centres on the islands of Flores, Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa and Santa Maria, for adaptation to the composting process of selective collection of organic waste and production of quality compost, involving a very significant investment of more than six million Euros, as well as the Regional Circular Economy Roadmap. Both will be completed by the end of 2023," he added.

The Regional Secretary also praised "the contribution and considerable efforts made by municipalities, parish councils, waste management operators and the various entities working in this area." In this regard, he highlighted that "this joint and dedicated action is crucial to achieving the goals and targets set out in PEPGRA 20+, particularly with regard to the rates of preparation for reuse and recycling, and waste disposal in landfills.

Nevertheless, Alonso Miguel stated that "the key to the success of waste prevention and management" depends on the commitment and individual contribution of each Azorean to this huge challenge.

"We will continue to strongly invest in environmental awareness and education, through the provision of School Environmental Awareness Activities, as well as through the intensification of awareness-raising actions and campaigns on waste management and the circular economy," he said.