Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Environment Agency (EMSHTR) have started a process of waste management (PMGRM) that is currently one of those that is most copied by other cities in Spain, both in its theoretical framework and in its specific proposals in the different areas of management. The transition from one model to another is taking place more quickly in the treatment than in the collection.
MINIMISATION AND REUSE OF WASTE The best waste is no waste, so one must minimise the generation of waste, especially containers and packaging and special waste materials. Though the municipality has limited competences for adopting measures aimed at minimising waste, it must take all the action within its power, such as the regulation of advertising delivered to homes, the replacement of plastic bags, etc. One of the most problematic plastic materials is plastic film, because it creates cross-pollution in the rest of the waste fractions. It is therefore proposed that its consumption be reduced to a minimum. Though the programmed scenario meets all the prevailing regulations, one must advance progressively in the application of the deposit system for packaging and containers (in the participation process, the representatives of the superstores voted against the recommendation made in this document) because it is the most effective system for these fractions when one wishes to apply the principle of the three Rs: reduction, reuse and recovery. The introduction of the deposit system also drastically reduces the number of containers in the public thoroughfares. Because (until the deposit system is introduced) the proposed model depends completely on the will and awareness of the public, one must implement an information and education programme, with sufficient funding, in the terms laid down in the PMGRM, in order to encourage responsible consumption and reduce waste. It is also proposed to promote the second-hand market (electrical appliances, clothing, furniture, etc.) in shops, trade fairs and dumps.
RECOVERY AND SALVAGE OF MATERIALS The goods consumed are not considered as waste but as recoverable resources. Applying the aims of recovery of the PMGRM it is proposed to collect selectively 60% of the materials released into the system, of which around half are organic and half are inorganic. The rest of the materials released will initially be waste for disposal. It is proposed to first separate (in the kitchen) and then selectively collect the following fractions: organic matter, paper and cardboard, glass, light containers, furniture, textiles and special waste. To achieve this one must redesign the material elements (bins, containers, lorries, etc.) of the various waste fractions from the kitchen to the treatment and disposal plants. In a compact and dense city such as Barcelona, it is absolutely essential to coordinate the model of waste management with the model used for managing urban space. For example, one must redesign the collection points for waste and access to the same. The block as a unit of management and the area below ground could both play a special role in the collection system. It is proposed to collect the organic matter selectively, because it is one of the fractions that the public is best able to separate and that can cause the greatest damage in the rest of the fractions due to cross-pollution. The organic fraction must be collected in a specific container for domestic waste generators, and the large-scale waste generators (the food markets and Mercabarna - the central
distribution market) must separate and collect it carefully. The organic fraction would be sent to ecoparks that will create compost (or stabilise the organic matter) and biogas. The compost generated can be used in state programmes for improving the biofertility of Spanish soils (which have a deficit of organic matter) and to combat desertification. These programmes must regulate the quality of the compost and must be developed through consensus with the institutions and appliers. Paper and cardboard are the second fraction of municipal waste in weight. Printed paper forms the largest part of the fraction. It is therefore proposed to collect it door-to-door, as they do in cities such as Vienna and Munich, which show results of over 60% recovery of the paper. Paper and card-
B A R C E L O N A , A C O M PA C T A N D C O M P L E X M E D I T E R R A N E A N C I T Y. A M O R E S U S TA I N A B L E V I S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R E
THE WASTE MODEL
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