Funchal, Ourique and Vilamoura to apply for Zero Waste certification

Funchal, Ourique and Vilamoura are the latest applicants for Zero Waste certification, joining five other Portuguese municipalities already in the process, bringing the total number of applications nationwide to eight, announced by the environmental association ZERO.

The certification, promoted in Europe by the Mission Zero Academy and Zero Waste Europe, and promoted in Portugal by ZERO, aims to implement measures that prevent waste production, encourage reuse, composting and a more effective selective collection system.

Each municipality will have to create a Zero Waste Plan based on a local diagnosis, in line with the PAPERSU principles, but with more ambitious targets. The commitment extends to 2035, involving the population in reducing undifferentiated waste and promoting innovative projects. In the case of Funchal, ZERO emphasises the strategic importance of this initiative in an island region like Madeira, where selective collection already reaches 37%, above the national average, with good results in door-to-door collection and composting.

In Ourique, the change from an open ecopoint system to a door-to-door model has improved the selective collection of bio-waste and increased the capture of recyclable materials. In Vilamoura, the focus will be on integrating various local players in order to strengthen collection circuits and focus on prevention, reuse and recycling projects.

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