On May 6th 2024, LIPOR proudly opened its Green Waste Park in Laúndos Portugal, marking a significant investment of around thirty-three million euros, funded by POSEUR (Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources Operational Program).
The new facility spans 13,400 square meters and is dedicated to the local processing of biowaste collected from the municipalities of Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde. This initiative supports a circular and integrated approach to separate food waste management. The park has the capacity to process eight thousand tons of biowaste annually.
Our Waste Transformer part of the Green Waste Park
During the inauguration ceremony, attendees also had the chance to visit the Waste Transformer biodigester operating at the Póvoa de Varzim Transfer Station, installed by our Portuguese local partner G.Hofle. This Waste Transformer biodigester processes food waste collected selectively from both residential and non-residential sectors (including HORECA establishments), serving approximately 18,000 residents. Inside the oxygen-free containerized biodigester, the food waste is turned into renewable energy on-site. Before the food waste enters the biodigester, the contaminations are mechanically removed.
The importance of addressing food waste and municipal separate collection
Food waste presents a significant challenge with wide-reaching environmental, economic, and social consequences. Globally, a third of all food produced is wasted, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions when it ends up in landfills. This waste represents a significant loss of resources like water, energy, and labour, and when not separated from other waste, intensifies climate change.
Municipalities are crucial in combating the impact of food waste. By implementing separate collection for food waste, they can ensure it is processed in facilities designed to convert it into valuable products such as digestate and biogas, instead of letting it decompose in landfills. These processes help create resources that can be used for soil enhancement and local clean energy generation.
Separate food waste collection by municipalities offers several benefits:
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: Food waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Proper processing in biodigesters can significantly cut these emissions, replace fossil generate energy and replace chemical fertilizer with natural food waste based fertilizers.
- Resource recovery: Converting food waste into liquid natural fertilizer and biogas supports soil health and clean energy production, promoting a local circular economy.
- Public awareness and engagement: Separate food waste collection schemes help raise awareness about food waste issues and encourage community participation in food waste reduction efforts. Municipalities can give back the liquid fertilizer produced to the community, growing community parks and public gardens on their own local natural fertilizer. With visible information signs the community is informed on the value of separate food waste transformation.
- Sustainable waste management: Efficient management of food waste contributes to broader sustainability goals and strengthens municipal waste management systems.
By investing in infrastructures such as the Green Waste Parks and a Waste Transformer biodigester, municipalities can lead in sustainable food waste management, demonstrating the benefits of circular economies and substantially reducing the environmental impact of food waste.
About The Waste Transformers: The Waste Transformers is a Dutch cleantech pioneer, providing on-site innovative technologies to transform unavoidable food waste into sustainable energy and natural fertilizers, enabling local positive change.
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