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Description
The issue of the project is to test a solution based on the collection with automatic machines in a restricted area - a municipality with a high population density - assessing the degree of population adherence to this new collection mechanism. It is intended to test the "effectiveness" of collection sites based on commercial surfaces of different sizes and formats, preparing the future Deposit System. The project aims to implement an incentive system with the attribution of an incentive to the consumer for the return of bottles and non-reusable beverage cans, to their forwarding for recycling and the production of high quality recycled, compatible with the incorporation in production new beverage packaging, promoting the circularity of recovered materials (glass, plastic and cans).Engage consumers, demonstrating the existence of environmentally friendly solutions for the circularity of packaging and positioning empty bottles as a resource and not as waste. Inform and clarify the final consumer with the purpose of ensuring the correct routing of the packages and reinforcing their confidence in the future deposit system.
Summary of project results
The incentive system consists of awarding a prize to the end consumer for returning non-reusable plastic beverage packaging, in the form of a pilot project, with a view to ensuring that it is sent for recycling and the production of high quality recycled material, compatible with the necessary requirements for the incorporation of new beverage bottles into the production, promoting the maximization of the circularity of recovered materials. Given the purpose of testing a collection solution with automatic machines in a restricted area, the project takes place in the municipality of Lisbon, whose high population density makes it possible to assess the degree of population adherence to this new collection mechanism. The aim was to evaluate collection in commercial areas of different sizes and formats, given different logistical and storage conditions.
In short, the Bebidas + Circulares project mission was to design, test and implement:
- How the packaging deposit and refund system works (operational and economic);
- Ensure defined goals for collection, recycling and incorporation of material recycled;
- Encourage citizens to adopt sustainable behaviors so that the collected material is recycled and incorporated as raw material in new bottles;
- Ensure a flow for packaging material, cleaner and without mixing of contaminating materials, allowing high quality recycled materials to be produced intended for the production of new beverage bottles.
The project "bebidas+circulares" which took place exclusively in the municipality of Lisbon, registered more than 3.8 million packages returned between 26 November 2020 and December 31, 2022, corresponding to more than 240 tons of materials sent for recycling from the 11 machines automatic collection (10 from December 2021). This quantity of packaging collected was split between more than 2.2 million PET plastic bottles, more than 730 thousand metal packaging and more than 806 thousand .glass bottles. The project allowed to demonstrate the potential of the waste collection solution packaging through machines to promote environmental sustainability through a more circular economy, allowing the routing of recycled material for the production of new beverage bottles, thanks to the high quality standard and low level of contamination of the material collected in machines, proven through the characterization of the waste collected.