SDR Portugal, the operator of the Volta packaging return system, says it is available to respond to the Government’s requests and adds that it does not have “competence, responsibility or mandate” to intervene in public space.
The statement comes in the wake of a letter that the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, sent on Wednesday to SDR Portugal, asking that it present by the 16th a plan to resolve the problem of litter scattered on the streets.
Since Portugal joined the deposit-with-reimbursement system in April, urban cleanliness problems have begun to emerge, especially in the large cities, linked to people searching for packaging that yields a 10-cent reimbursement.
People who search the containers of the various wastes for packaging that they can return to SDR in order to receive the reimbursement end up scattering the contents of the bags on the public road. The issue has sparked protests from various sectors.
SDR Portugal, in a statement, responded that the deadline is short and depends “also and mainly” on the municipalities.
“SDR Portugal will also fulfil the responsibilities legally attributed to it, including the possibility of financial compensation to municipalities for the urban cleaning costs attributable to the packaging covered by Volta, as provided for,” says the communiqué.
The Volta managing association stresses that it has always been available to work with the municipalities and speaks of the importance of the Volta kiosks (eight in operation, out of a total of 50 planned), which have greater capacity to receive metal and plastic packaging.
The kiosks, financed by SDR Portugal, allow reducing the improper disposal of packaging at recycling points and in ordinary trash, which will lead, “inevitably,” to a reduction of situations that have been publicly reported, says the communiqué.
“SDR Portugal does not have competence, responsibility or mandate to intervene in public space. The installation of kiosks is always dependent on the authorization of the municipalities,” it adds.
The problems raised by the Volta system have already led to the creation of a petition to demand an end to the project, which counts tens of thousands of signatures.
Mayors of Lisbon and Porto, but also of other cities such as Faro or Funchal, have already complained about Volta because of the litter spread due to the search for deposit-refund packaging and the lack of collection points, especially in inland municipalities.
