In an initiative of the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea (SRAM), the “Eco Village: clean village” initiative took place from January 14 to September 30, 2010. A total of 112 Village Councils have joined the initiative, comprising the nine islands of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
The “ECO Village: clean village” aims to recognise and distinguish the efforts undertaken by Village Councils  in collaboration with the populations, particularly in the cleansing, removal and disposal of waste in their public spaces as well as to reward the good environmental performance of individuals and entities involved. Local authorities were entrusted to develop the procedures and tasks deemed necessary for the classification, removal, transportation and delivery of waste to its appropriate final destination, including:
a)   Encouragement of volunteering, requesting the involvement of the community in order to keep the village clean;
b) Removal of waste from the public space of the village as well as from yards, pastures and wastelands, among others;
c) Transfer of waste to the final destination, which may be brought by citizens, collectively or individually, to the Village Council where it will be packed and classified;
d) Public Health promotion by raising the population’s awareness for issues related to rodents and the spread of diseases.
The work carried out by the participating Village Councils was assessed by a jury composed by a representative of the SRAM, a representative of the respective municipality and of local non-governmental organisations in the area of environment.
Thus, the Award “ECO Village: clean village 2010 as awarded when there was a clear commitment of the Village Council in the cleansing of their public space, which was demonstrated by the cleanliness of public places, the motivation of private land owners, the organisation of awareness campaigns and the collaboration with other entities to carry out these actions.
In this context, 71 of 112 participating villages were distinguished with the EcoVillage Award, which demonstrates the good environmental performance of citizens and entities involved, as well as the importance of an adequate management of waste for the well-being of populations.
The list containing the winning villages per island is available on the Portal of the Regional Government of the Azores at www.residuos-azores.org.