Portugal-Cascais: Creation of a tool to monitor and manage textile selective waste streams

Background

The municipality of Cascais aims to maintain itself as a reference in the community and its mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of Cascais and improve the quality of life of its citizens and visitors. To support this goal, the municipality approved its carbon neutrality roadmap 2050 to further the innovation to green economy.

In Cascais, household waste is collected in different streams namely selective streams (glass, plastic/metal and paper/cardboard). Household waste is sometimes contaminated by organic and textile waste. Following this, Cascais intends to create new waste streams for textiles, which have the potential to fuel circular and innovative environmental actions.

Expected outcome

Cascais needs a data collection system able to monitor and manage textile selective waste streams. The use of IT platforms, data and digital solutions can help us to better understand the usage patterns and allow an increase of awareness and education of citizens and local actors (also through gamification). On the other hand, Cascais intends to increase the quality of the waste collected by improving the selective waste collection processes as well as the potential to foster local textile recycling. Particularly, the solution should help to:

• Increase knowledge and awareness of the impact of textile waste and the potential opportunities for recycling and reuse.
  
• Support the collection/recycling/reuse of textiles through Cascais Ambiente, supporting the circular economy strategy also through cross collaboration with citizens, local organizations, NOG’s and waste collection companies.
  
• Promote public awareness and dissemination events with stakeholders and new innovative circular solutions.
  
• Generate a continuous output of data to identify gaps and to increase the opportunities arising from the different moments and actors involved in textiles life cycle.

Published 18 August, 2023.