• Maresme Circular has recovered 19,975 tonnes of residual waste for recycling in 2024

• Advances in efficient selective collection systems are noticeable in the Maresme, although they are slower than in Catalonia as a whole

In 2024, the rate of municipal waste sent to landfill in the Maresme stood at 0.2%, with only 280 tonnes sent to controlled disposal as final treatment. This means that 99.8% of the waste that Maresme residents throw into the grey bin does not end up in landfill, but instead goes to the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery. There, it undergoes pre-treatment to separate and recover recyclable materials that should not have gone into the grey bin in the first place.

The data, published by the Catalan Waste Agency, reveal that the Maresme is leader in the management of residual waste. In 2035, in accordance with European directives, only a maximum of 10% of municipal waste generated may be sent to controlled landfill as final treatment. While Catalonia as a whole sent 18.8% of untreated waste to landfill and 8.6% of untreated waste for energy recovery last year, in the Maresme the percentages did not exceed 0.2% and 0% respectively. The Maresme is thus among the five regions that send the least waste to landfill and carry out adequate pre-treatment.

In 2024, the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery recovered 19,975 tonnes of materials for recycling from the residual waste of the Maresme and Vallès Oriental.

Following the waste treatment hierarchy, waste that cannot be materially recovered is recovered for energy. Thus, in 2024, the Integral Centre generated 99,701 MWh of electrical energy, equivalent to the annual electricity supply of 30,000 families.

Promoting waste prevention is necessary

During 2024, 242,818 tonnes of municipal waste were generated in the Maresme, representing an increase of 10.6% over the previous year.

Per capita generation stands at 538.87 kg per inhabitant per year, slightly above the Catalan average (482 kg/inhabitant/year). The Mataró-Maresme Circular Park project, which will provide free services such as the loan of items for occasional use through a Library of Things, advice on repairing small electrical appliances, bicycles, carpentry and DIY, and a workshop teaching how to prevent food waste, aims to turn this situation around and have an impact on waste prevention in the region.

Improvements in selective collection, but at a slower pace than in Catalonia

In terms of selective collection, in 2024, 7.9% more waste was selectively collected in the Maresme than in 2023, although the percentage of selective collection fell to 45.26% compared to the previous year (in 2023 it stood at 46.39%), as total waste generation has grown more rapidly. Thus, in 2024, 109,891 tonnes were selectively collected in the Maresme, while in 2023, 101,800.87 tonnes were selectively collected.

17 of the 28 municipalities in the region achieved selective collection rates of over 50%, demonstrating that the roll-out of efficient models (door-to-door and closed containers) by local councils is proving effective, despite the fact that the growth in the percentage of selective collection is slower in the Maresme than in Catalonia as a whole, which this year reached 47.1%.

Of the four main types of selective collection in the Maresme, there has been an improvement compared to 2023 in light packaging (12%), paper/cardboard (6.3%) and organic matter (3.8%). The fraction that has seen the greatest improvement is bulky waste, which has increased its selective collection by 20.5% compared to 2023.

Access the complete statistics at: http://estadistiques.arc.cat/ARC/

Maresme Circular has recovered 19,975 tonnes of waste from the residual fraction for recycling in 2024 / Marga Cruz