Lisbon's Trash Crisis: The Overlapping Chaos of Waste Management

The Unspoken Truth About Waste in Lisbon

In Lisbon, there are four sacred principles: one cannot speak about the Parish Councils, unions, various municipal services, or past decisions made by former mayors. Questioning these principles often leads to outrage from those who feel offended, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

In this article, I will dare to address the issue of waste management in Lisbon, ignoring the sacred silence that drives residents to despair, as they repeatedly register complaints on the app "A minha Rua" (My Street), where Urban Hygiene stands out as the major source of discontent. Complaints range from abandoned trash to lack of public cleaning and waste around recycling bins.

Even the tourist tax, which generates millions for the city and helps cover urban hygiene costs, is insufficient to solve the long-standing waste problem in Lisbon, which is notably absent from the concerns of other densely populated municipalities. Why does this persist?

Administrative Decentralization

When António Costa was the Mayor of Lisbon, an administrative reform decentralized many municipal responsibilities to the 24 Parishes, particularly concerning urban hygiene. This process, continued by Fernando Medina, resulted in 25 entities responsible for waste collection, leading to a duplication of roles and responsibilities.

At that time, Costa assured that this was not a privatization effort but rather a way to empower the parishes. However, it seems to have only increased their dissatisfaction, as nearly all parishes complain about insufficient funding to maintain a clean city.

Some speculate that this decentralization was intended to divide and conquer, making disruptions less impactful and less politically exploitable for those losing ground in elections.

A Unique and Confusing Waste Management Model

Lisbon has a waste collection model that no other mayor in the country has chosen to emulate, and rightfully so, as it is ineffective. On the same street, the city collects trash from containers and recycling bins, while parishes deal with litter from public trash cans and the ground. Often, when containers are full and there’s no awareness campaign, residents leave trash on the ground, leading to complaints about the city's failure to fulfill its duties. Confusing, isn’t it?

Political changes lead to increased complaints from parish councils aligned with the opposition, and vice versa. A particularly amusing moment occurred when councilor Ângelo Pereira remarked that parishes receive thousands of euros to remove street litter but fail to do so.

Everyone agrees that the current waste collection model is flawed, yet no one dares to challenge the sacred principles mentioned earlier.

Solutions to Improve Waste Management

1. Ecopoint Management: The absurd division where the city manages what’s in the bin but the parish is responsible for litter on the ground must end. City services should reclaim responsibility for all recycling bins to eliminate the blame game.
2. Sensor Technology: Implementing sensors in recycling bins would indicate when they are full, allowing for timely collection and reducing litter on the streets.
3. Unified Waste Management: A comprehensive review of waste management is essential. Large municipalities with high tourism and population density that do not face similar complaints often employ a municipal company for autonomous organization and business-like management. This model allows for efficient human resource management and task rotation, alleviating current burdens.

Why doesn’t Lisbon adopt a similar approach? If the genuine concern is the satisfaction of residents, the city council, parish councils, and unions must collaborate in the solution. A well-functioning system would surely lead to cleaner streets and fewer pests.