• The new system consists of totems incorporating an automatic number plate reader and a ticket dispenser

• The initiative forms part of Maresme Circular’s strategy to continuously improve the facilities at the Maresme Integrated Waste Recovery Centre and establish itself as a benchmark in waste management in the region

The Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery, a facility where over 190,000 tonnes of waste per year from the Maresme and Vallès Oriental regions are recovered and recycled, has successfully implemented a new automated access control system that allows refuse lorries to access the site more quickly and efficiently. With this system, the time taken for lorries to enter has been reduced by 73%, falling from an average of 75 seconds to just 20 seconds per vehicle. This drastic reduction has helped minimise queues and improve the efficiency of access management to the Centre.

This initiative joins other improvements that Maresme Circular, the brand of the Maresme Waste Consortium, has been implementing at the Centre in recent years, such as the installation of a detection gantry for radioactive municipal waste on refuse lorries entering the plant, for example nappies from people undergoing chemotherapy.

How the new access system works

Upon entering the plant, refuse lorries must identify themselves and drive onto a weighbridge that measures the tonnage of waste collected from the grey bins. This is how the Centre determines how many tonnes of waste it handles and which municipalities they come from.

Before this automated system was installed, registration was carried out manually and required drivers to get out of the vehicle to complete the process. The new system eliminates this need, offering a more streamlined and convenient process.

The system consists of totems located at the entrance, each equipped with a traffic light, a camera, a ticket dispenser and an intercom. The traffic light indicates that the lane is clear and that the lorry may proceed to the weighbridge. When the lorry drives onto the weighbridge, the totem’s camera scans the vehicle’s number plate and the driver, if necessary, enters the required details. Finally, the totem dispenses an access ticket and another traffic light signals to the driver that the registration has been successfully completed.

Should communication between the driver and the operator be necessary, the totems are also equipped with intercoms.

Continuous improvement of facilities

This measure, implemented by the concessionaire of the Maresme Integrated Waste Recovery Centre, UTE TEM (Maresme Ecological Treatments), at a cost of €25,294.88, forms part of the strategy for the continuous improvement of the plant’s facilities led by Maresme Circular, with the aim of reinforcing its commitment to efficient and responsible environmental management.

Maresme Circular

Maresme Circular is the umbrella brand that encompasses all the services, projects and facilities related to waste management and the circular economy of the Maresme Waste Consortium.

Through the Maresme Integral Centre for Waste Recovery, in 2025 it managed around 197,000 tonnes of residual waste per year from the Maresme and Vallès Oriental regions, and promotes strategic projects such as the Mataró-Maresme Circular Park, aimed at encouraging reuse and waste prevention with the aim of putting the circular economy into practice in the region.

The new automated access control system allows refuse lorries to access the facilities more quickly and efficiently / Marga Cruz