The Regional Director for the Environment said on Friday that the waste management policy is "one of the most important structural reforms ever made in the Azores." In this context, the government official mentioned that the policies pursued by the Government in this area "will turn the Azores into a space of reference in a national and European context."

For Hernâni Jorge, the successive "failed attacks" to the regional waste policy demonstrate "the inability of PSD in creating and presenting an alternative idea, as it can be seen from the Environmental programme on its website; it is limited to a single sentence."

Speaking at a press conference in Horta, Hernâni Jorge recalled that last year, the Azores recovered 21.4% of municipal urban waste, compared to 13.1% in 2012, which resulted in the "subsequent reduction of landfilling from 86.9% to 78.6%."

For the Regional Director, these good results were achieved despite the added difficulties arising from the specificities of the island systems and the constraints caused by legal challenges to the procedures for the operation of the Waste Processing Centres on São Jorge, Pico and Santa Maria. There was also a delay in the completion of the construction works of the Santa Maria Waste Processing Centre and the Corvo Centre was damaged by bad weather.

"The Government of the Azores regrets that all Waste Management Centres are not operating. Nonetheless, this aspiration can neither override the rule of law and the respect for judicial decisions nor neglect the rights and guarantees of citizens and companies," stressed the government official.

The Regional Director also stressed that throughout the construction of the Waste Processing Centres, the Government "has kept a permanent dialogue with all municipalities of the islands of Corvo, Flores, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico, Faial and Santa Maria. All municipalities – with the exception of Horta City Hall - have never demonstrated their interest in taking over the operation of those infrastructures.”

Hernâni Jorge also revealed that as the works were concluded, the Regional Directorate for the Environment “met with municipalities or their associations in order to provide financial support to the organisation of awareness raising actions for the selective collection of urban waste."

"In this regard, the Government has signed an agreement with Velas Town Hall. A similar agreement to be signed with Calheta Town Hall is already under preparation. We are waiting for the decision of the Association of Municipalities of Pico (AMIP) and we also expect to meet with the Vila do Porto Town Hall for the same purpose," announced the government official.

On the other hand, the Regional Director for the Environment mentioned that some private operators bid for the concession of São Jorge and Pico Waste Processing Centres without requesting any financial contribution. This fact concerns "the amount of waste generated on each island and the commercial prospects and not whether the operator is public or private."
 
With regard to the contributions paid to Waste Processing Centres in operation, Hernâni Jorge revealed that the sum of "9,693.64 Euros was paid to the concessionaire operating on Graciosa and 8,303.91 Euros were paid to the concessionaire operating on Flores and Corvo. The amount of these contributions is not significant."