A project is being launched on the island of Maio (Cape Verde) that aims to make waste sorting and recycling a routine procedure that could even help small businesses grow, a source from Cooperação Portuguesa, which supports the initiative, explained to Lucé.
The idea was developed with European Union (EU) funding after a large-scale investment in private tourism was announced in 2020 with hundreds of sites to take advantage of the island’s near-virgin landscape, surrounded by vast beaches and built into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Investments have not yet arrived, but initiatives aimed at preparing the island for structural changes have taken shape, including the requalification of the port and the construction of a new pier, in addition to actions for sustainable territorial development in a programme called “May 2025”.
The Integrated Solid Waste Recycling and Treatment Facility (Citres) project is part of this set of initiatives and will see the creation of a sorting facility to separate materials that can be recycled, with the remaining waste sent to a new landfill that will replace the current open dump.
The implementation period is three years, formalized last week, with the hope that this initiative can serve as a model and inspire similar actions on other islands of the archipelago, a source in the Portuguese cooperation explained to Luce.
Maio is a small island, 14 kilometers wide and 25 kilometers long, with a population of about six thousand people, located in the leeward group of Cape Verde.
The plastic and glass will be separated and the project includes the purchase of equipment to recycle them for new uses – or at least to sell them along with other recyclable materials, generating revenue for the Mayo municipality.
Waste recycling could stimulate the development of new local businesses through local production of tableware and materials from recycled materials that become available, the same source explained.
The entire project is supported by the Association of Municipalities for Sustainable Waste Management of Greater Porto (LIPOR), Portugal’s technical partner thanks to the experience gained in this type of solution.
Citres is the culmination of a cycle in which Portuguese Cooperation supported the development of the archipelago’s waste management strategy and the definition of operational plans for each of the islands: the Maio Island project puts into practice the strategy and its corresponding plan.
At this point, as a first step, after the official registration of Citres, a preliminary study and environmental impact assessment will be carried out.
Education and training for council staff is another planned task, aimed at equipping Mayo Chamber with the skills to run the centre and raising awareness among residents who will begin living with coloured selective collection bins.
As has happened in other countries, including Portugal, it all starts with promoting the habit of waste separation, starting in schools and reaching the youngest children.
The Citres Maio project – Integrated Solid Waste Collection and Treatment Centre on the Island of Maio – is co-financed by the EU and Portugal. The collaboration is through Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, IP, which will also ensure the implementation of the project through delegated cooperation.
Cape Verde’s partners are Câmara do Maio, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the National Environment Directorate, the National Agency for Water and Sanitation and Empresa Água e Energia do Maio.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.