Porto Santo launches a pioneer community management system for the collection of PET packaging
Today, Porto Santo inaugurated its first machine for collecting PET packaging, a pioneer return system fully financed by commercial establishments, without State incentives.
As stated in a note sent to the newsroom, this equipment is financed by the Environment Program of the EEAGrants Fund, as part of the ‘Porto Santo sem Lixo Marinho’ project.
As part of this initiative, users receive discount vouchers when placing PET beverage packaging in the return machine installed in one of the Pingo Doce stores (Vila Baleira), which will therefore be used in participating establishments and self-finance the value discounted on the products acquired.
“This is an innovative system in the national context. There have been large drops in the adherence of private establishments to systems that are temporarily financed by the government. With this initiative, we intend to work in direct contact with the local community and with commercial establishments in Porto Santo, ensuring co-responsibility in reducing the use and increasing recycling of plastic waste, which has greatly contributed to pollution in the Madeira Archipelago.”, explains Ângela Morgado, executive director of ANP|WWF, an organization promoting the Porto Santo Sem Lixo Marinho project, which includes the launch of this system.
In addition to the machine for collecting PET packaging, a consortium between ANP|WWF, AIDGLOBAL, Água e Resíduos da Madeira, Porto Santo City Council and ARDITI, which also has the support of WWF Norway , from the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change and Pingo Doce, established several awareness actions for the residents in Porto Santo and defined a Community Management Plan, which runs until 2025, and has made it possible to monitor commitments in the management and reduction of marine litter produced in Porto Santo.
“Here, commercial establishments, fishermen, educational communities, administrations, and political power dialogue in public consultation sessions and in the signing of transformative commitments regarding the reduction of the use of single-use plastic and the increase of recycling targets. In this line of community action, students from elementary schools in the municipality of Porto Santo will be “supervisors” of the commitments of the municipality and commercial establishments, in an educational initiative which aims to train citizens to become even more aware of the scourge of plastic pollution, explains the same note.
“We want Porto Santo to remain on the front line to stop plastic dumping into the ocean. We all have a responsibility to contribute to the reduction of single-use plastic and our municipality is extremely concerned with ensuring the best practices to preserve the biodiversity of the island of Porto Santo and the ocean that surrounds it”, emphasized Nuno Batista, president of Porto Santo City Hall.
Amílcar Gonçalves, chairman of the Board of Directors of ARM – Águas e Resíduos da Madeira, S.A., reinforced that “the island of Porto Santo has the potential to develop these innovative and sustainable projects, which contribute to the preservation of the Region of Madeira” .
“The involvement of the Porto Santo community, especially the 37 entrepreneurs who joined the project, is for us the most notable aspect of this initiative because, in fact, we all have a leading role in this path towards sustainability”, concluded the official.
Source: JM Madeira
