The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated in Horta that the Azores have made significant progress in urban waste processing, having recovered half of generated waste in 2016.
 
Marta Guerreiro spoke on the presentation of 2016 Urban Waste Reports, pointing out that "the recycling of packaging waste from the selective collection was at 54.7 kilos per inhabitant in the Region, being above the national average" of 31 kilos. It also surpasses the 47-kilo target, one the national goals for 2020.
 
"The evolution registered allows us to realise that the Region is able to comply with the goals of the Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Management of Waste in the Azores (PEPGRA), provided that, by 2020, the infrastructures planned for São Miguel will enter into operation."
 
Marta Guerreiro also stressed that "seven of the nine islands of the archipelago have promoted the recovery of more than half of urban waste, with the example of the island of Flores reaching the full recovery of waste (100%) and the zero landfill goal."
 
Regarding the measures to reduce the consumption of plastic bags, whose first phase started on April 1, 2016, covering only large commercial areas, the government official stated that these measures "have led to a substantial change in consumer's habits by promoting the replacement of disposable plastic bags for alternative and reusable means; this resulted in the withdrawal of 12.6 million plastic bags from the market in just nine months."
 
"The data presented today show that the Regional Government's intentions are being fulfilled within the development model based on sustainable practices," Marta Guerreiro stressed, highlighting the Azoreans as key players in this paradigm shift.