18 Feb

Secretary of State for the Environment visited strategic projects in waste management and environmental innovation at LIPOR

LIPOR welcomed the visit of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Dr. João Manuel Esteves, as part of a day dedicated to presenting key projects in the fields of waste management, technological innovation, and environmental sustainability.

The session began with a meeting to present the main ongoing projects, outlining LIPOR’s strategy - and its Associated Municipalities - for the transition toward a more circular, efficient, and digital economy.

Innovation and technology serving sustainability

Throughout the morning, several operational units were visited, with particular emphasis on:

Textile Sorting Pilot Project – an innovative initiative that strengthens the response to emerging challenges in textile waste management;
LIPOR Data Center – a technological infrastructure that ensures monitoring, data analysis, and decision support;
Organic Recovery Plant – a key facility in transforming food and green waste into Nutrimais (organic compost and substrates), a 100% natural soil compost with high fertilizing value.

The visit highlighted the ongoing investment in technological modernization and process optimization, generating significant environmental and operational benefits and positioning LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities at the forefront of proper solid waste management and recovery.

Community‑focused projects and citizen engagement

In the afternoon, the program continued with technical visits to projects implemented in the municipality of Maia, showcasing the commitment to community proximity and citizen environmental responsibility:

Sobreiro Composting Island and Community Garden – an example of circular economy applied at a local scale;
Waste Compartments – a solution to improve organization and efficiency in selective collection;
Metal Cabinet – an equipment model designed to house containers, adapted to specific urban contexts;
Semi‑buried Containers with Access Control – a system that promotes efficiency, urban hygiene, and monitoring;
Maiambiente Data Center - featuring a demonstration of the PAYT (Pay-As-You-Throw) system, currently implemented in 65% of households in the municipality.

The PAYT demonstration highlighted the results already achieved in selective collection and waste reduction, reinforcing the municipality’s commitment to innovative, results‑oriented environmental policies.

Commitment to climate transition

This institutional visit provided an opportunity to present the work being carried out in the region, strengthen strategic alignment with national waste‑sector policies, and underline the role of LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities as a reference in environmental innovation. It reaffirmed their commitment to sustainability, efficient resource management, and the development of an environmentally responsible, technologically advanced territory prepared for future challenges.