Fully operational by the end of the year and with a capacity to process around 55,000 tons annually

The São Miguel Island Municipal Solid Waste Mechanical Treatment Centre was completed by Efacec, consortium leader (53%), in partnership with the construction company Marques S.A. (47%).

The waste treatment plant is, at this moment and during the next month, in the testing phase, and it is expected that the service will start operating at full capacity by the end of this year, presenting the conditions to meet the demanding European targets for waste recovery.

MUSAMI’s new space will have the capacity to process about 30 tons of recoverable waste, which will correspond to an annual process of about 55 thousand tons, including glass, paper, cardboard, plastic film and plastic or cardboard packaging.

Also, under the responsibility of the Efacec/ Marques Consortium for this New Waste Treatment Centre of MUSAMI, is the project corresponding to the Biological Treatment Centre (CTB), a facility intended for the treatment of Biodegradable Waste from the project now completed and for the treatment of waste from selective collection through anaerobic digestion to produce biogas and composting, to produce compost (organic corrective). This project is currently under execution and its completion is scheduled for the first half of 2023.

António Mendes, an engineer from Efacec and responsible for the project management, emphasised during the presentation of the Mechanical Treatment Plant, which took place during its inauguration, that this new facility should double waste treatment and recovery on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, having been dimensioned for the following capacity:

  • Treatment of 55 thousand tons of solid urban waste in an 8-hour shift (with the possibility of still doubling this capacity with recourse to a second shift);
  • Separation of 11,000 tons of recoverable materials to be recycled.
  • Separation of 13,000 tons of organic fraction destined for CTB (for anaerobic digestion – with biogas production – and composting).

The design and construction of these facilities is part of the activity that Efacec has been developing, including innovative and sustainable solutions, positioning itself as a creator of global trends in the circular economy culture, always approaching waste as a valuable resource and constituting an important player in the sector, offering turnkey, customised solutions to meet the needs of its customers.

Efacec has been working in this area for over a decade, having developed benchmark projects in Portugal and Malta, namely the Mechanical and Biological Treatment Plant, in Malta, and four in Portugal: CTA – Automatic Sorting Plant – Suldouro, CTM – Capacity Reinforcement of Mechanical Treatment Plant (CTM) – Valorsul, as well as CTA – Automated Sorting Plant – and CTM – Mechanical and Biological Treatment Plant, both for Resulima.