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Separating waste, maintaining the sche-
dule for depositing such waste, contro-
lling the consumption of water and other
changes are key steps for reducing CO
2
emissions. That is the way things are
being done in Ávila, the first city in Spain
where FCC is working on assessing
the load of carbon dioxide emissions of
companies and individuals.
Catherine Milhau, manager of the Coor-
dination and Development Department
of FCC Citizen Services, unveiled this
initiative at the 18th Seminar on Inno-
vation and Sustainability, “The Envi-
ronmental Footprint in Urban Services”
which was organized last March in Ávila,
jointly with the city’s mayor, Miguel Ángel
García Nieto.
In her speech, “Ecoefficient Manage-
ment of Services”, Milhau explained the
Company’s work on the study of the
environmental footprint produced by the
Citizens, companies and authorities of Ávila
committed to the reduction of CO
2
emissions
emissions of the landfill sites managed by
the company in order to report these to the
State Registry of Contaminating Emissions
and Sources (PRTR).
The quality of the results obtained has im-
proved over the years and as a result of the
experience acquired thanks to the use of
calculation methods based on internationally
recognised prestigious models that make it
possible to align the model to the specific
characteristics of each waste elimination
installation. These calculation methods have
been certified by several scientific entities
such as the Centro de Investigaciones Ener-
géticas, Medioambientales and Tecnológi-
cas (CIEMAT), Universidad Autónoma de
Madrid and Universidad de Huelva.
The protocol for monitoring and for analysing
the information gathered at each landfill site,
in-depth and personalised, enables us to
calculate with precision the future produc-
tion of methane gas. In this way, we can de-
tect those facilities with high energy potential
and wager on viable biogas energy recovery
that make it possible to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and promote the generation
of renewable energy.
The chart below shows the trend in the re-
duction of greenhouse gas emissions and
energy generated from biogas at the landfill
sites managed by FCC Medio Ambiente in
Spain:
Monitoring all of these parameters will ensu-
re the implementation of a strategy for redu-
cing the carbon footprint of the organization,
reliably and efficiently, in which methane
emissions correspond to 43% of Scope 1.
daily waste collection, street cleaning,
gardening, irrigation, and other activities
in a city. The aim of this project, promoted
by the European Commission as part of
the European Covenant of Mayors, is to
reduce CO
2
emissions to air by 20% by
the year 2020.
The FCC executive highlighted the impor-
tance of education and residents’ invol-
vement in preventing emissions. “Measu-
ring the carbon footprint in ode to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, besides
representing an environmental improve-
ment for companies and the population,
is also economical”, she underscored.
For many years, the Citizen Services
Group has been involved in sustainable
development, a commitment that, as Mil-
hau explained, can be “confirmed quan-
titatively and is not a mere philosophical
concept”.
The European Compact of Mayors aims
to encourage the cities and towns of the
European Union to improve their ener-
gy efficiency, increase the production of
renewables, and improve the manage-
ment of urban solid waste by reducing
CO
2
emissions to air by 20% by the year
2020. This compact is, therefore, a politi-
cal commitment to achieve a reduction of
CO
2
emissions jointly with other players.