The Vidro+ Platform and Porto Ambiente have launched the Inter-School Contest “More Glass, More Porto,” which runs from November 1, 2026 to January 3, 2027. They accepted the challenge from Escola Básica das Campinas, Escola Básica João de Deus, and Escola Secundária Fontes Pereira de Melo. Students from these schools who reside in the municipality of Porto may participate. The objective is simple: bring to the glass banks ever more glass packaging, as announced in a statement.
According to the same source, the contest involves families to reinforce glass separation habits and integrate this practice into the daily lives of the students. Each participant has a card that identifies them at the smart glass banks: the deposited packaging are automatically counted and contribute to the ranking of the student, the class, and the school.
The three schools were chosen for their proximity to the equipment installed in the Boavista area, where the pilot project “More Glass, More Porto” takes place. In this area, there are 19 glass banks equipped with the Recysmart system, a technology that records the packages inserted and allows monitoring of users’ participation.
The winning school will receive a prize that can reach 2,500 euros, to be applied to equipment, materials, or other improvements. In each school, the best-classified class will win a study visit to BA Glass, and the three students with the best individual rankings will receive FNAC gift cards worth up to 250 euros. The prizes will be awarded in January 2027.
Resulting from a partnership between the Vidro+ Platform, Porto Ambiente, Fujitsu, Sogrape and the Super Bock Group, the project “More Glass, More Porto” unites technology and awareness to increase the collection of glass packaging for recycling and, at the same time, to support social action institutions in the city. If the pilot area achieves a glass-collection rate of 75%, financial support to GASPORTO (Porto Social Action Group) and to the Home for the Elderly of the Little Sisters of the Poor could reach 10,000 euros.
Through this initiative, the project mobilizes the school community to promote environmental sustainability, encouraging practices that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and to the strengthening of the circular economy. In Portugal, there is still room to increase glass collection. According to the data published by the European initiative Close the Glass Loop, in 2024 the national rate of glass packaging collection for recycling reached 61%, compared with the EU average of 82.2%.
