Lipor- Serviço Intermunicipalizado de Gestão de Resíduos do Grande Porto
Lipor is the entity responsible for the management, valorisation and treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced by its eight municipalities: Espinho, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Valongo and Vila do Conde. Lipor treats around 500,000 tons of municipal solid waste produced by 972,000 inhabitants every year. In order to sustain modern MSW management concepts such as the adoption of integrated systems and minimising disposal in landfills, Lipor has developed an integrated treatment, valorisation and confinement strategy. The MSW strategy is based on three main components: Multimaterial Valorisation, Organic Valorisation and Energy Recovery, complemented by a Sanitary landfill for the disposal of rejected waste and prepared residues.
Lipor is responsible for the Management of MSW produced by its partners but, in the last few years, it has focused on other pressing environmental issues such as consumption. Lipor recognises the strong link between consumption patterns, the depletion of natural resources and the production of waste. Based on the observation of society at present, they also concluded that there was a strong correlation between consumption and the amount of refuse produced. Lipor is now addressing the rise in refuse through the promotion of “Sustainable Consumption Policies”.
Sustainable Procurement Activities
Lipor seeks to draw attention to these frequently unnoticed problems, pro-actively increase environmental awareness and eventually engage citizen participation. In 2009, Lipor developed a Guide called “Sustainable Organisation”, where they shared some of their experiences and advice on Sustainable Procurement. This Guide was handed out to some of Lipor’s stakeholders.
Lipor is currently involved in streamlining sustainable public procurement in Portugal through:
- introducing ecological criteria and technical specifications into its tenders;
- assisting public authorities in putting in place a procurement strategy in line with the economics of the region;
- social and environmental policies;
- encouraging cooperation among public procurers;
- promoting market engagement between public procurers and suppliers.
