We are FCC - Nº3

medio ambiente The Barbanza (La Coruña) Environmental Complex, an example worth emulating The waste treatment environmental complex Mancomunidad del Conce- llo de Serra de Barbanza (Municipal Association of the Serra de Barbanza Council in La Coruña) started opera- tions in September 2003. Situated in Lousame, the complex is situated in a 10-hectare area and provides services to nine municipali- ties (Lousame, Brión, Porto do Son, Ames, Rois, Carnota, Muros, Ponte- cesures and Noia), with an approxi- mate population of 86,000. Its activi- ties cover an area of 625 km² and the facilities have the best recovery rates in Spain. In 2016, it received 32,000 tonnes of organic and inorganic was- te, glass, paper, cardboard and hou- sehold appliances from these munici- palities. The main objective of the facility is the comprehensive management of domestic waste from the councils that form part of the Association. It achie- ves this by composting organic waste and recovering materials for their re- cycling, thereby adding value to the various fractions. The selective waste collection system implemented by the Association includes four types of containers: • Blue container: paper and card- board (newspapers, magazines, books, boxes…). • Green igloo: glass bottles and jars, without caps or corks. These containers could also feature a lateral deposit for used batteries. • Green container: organic waste leftover food and pruning ma- terial. • Yellow container: inorganic waste such as plastic, oil con- tainers, tins and cartons, textile, earthenware, etc. envir nment The plant’s philosophy is based on the 3R rule (Reduce, Reuse and Re- cycle) and any rejected waste is sent to a landfill site. The facility recycles containers and treats organic waste to produce compost. In 2016, the facility recovered 7,800 tonnes of inorganic waste for recy- cling, equivalent to 90 kg/inhabitant and it also recycled, through compos- ting, 4,000 tonnes of organic fractions equal to 46 kg per inhabitant. Organic fractions and other types of waste are collected in trucks with two compartments and are then de- livered to the environmental complex which has two separate treatment li- nes. Fraction is subjected to a natural fermentation and ripening process. Compost must comply with certain optimal conditions so that it can be used in agriculture and, accordingly, the plant performs internal controls, applying certain parameters to the compost being processed. The final analytical tests are performed by an external laboratory pursuant to cu- rrent law. Inorganic waste is transported by a conveyor line to a manual sorting line where different types of plastic and recoverably materials are separated. Objects such as cans are then sepa- rated by means of electromagnets or Foucault currents, depending on whe- ther they are made of steel or alumi- nium. Materials such as porcelain or other types of waste are sent to the controlled landfill site. Once the mate- rials have been sorted and in order to facilitate its transport, it is then pres- sed and packaged for transport to the different recycling companies. The fractions in blue paper and car- dboard containers and green igloos are collected together and sent to the corresponding recycling facility. The environmental complex has been awarded several environmental certi- ficates for its compliance with specific criteria that guarantee the quality of the facility’s management. The cer- tificates awarded include ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and OHSAS 18001. B U S I N E S S B U S I N E S S 14