Technical and environmental criteria come together with the 2008/98/CE Waste Framework Directive of the European Parliament and Council, dated November 2008, on waste management and treatment. This directive establishes action lines based on the reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery and disposal in landfills of waste, following this hierarchical order.
The public plays a very important role in this legal hierarchy, because it is necessary for the consumption habits of society to be in communion with these three main areas: reducing, reusing and recycling.
The Maresme area has consolidated the trend started in the past few years with regard to waste, increasing the percentage of waste collected separately. Thus, citizens have understood the importance of recycling waste. In 2018, 45.30% of the waste generated in the area was collected separately, a percentage that is high above the Catalan average, which is 41.80%.