The Vila Nova de Famalicão municipal executive recently approved the opening of an international public tender, with a base price of 36.5 million euros, for the acquisition of the urban waste collection service throughout the municipality for the next 10 years. 

The new contract will begin in October 2025, when the contract in force since 2015 with the current service provider - Blueotter - expires. 

The new tender procedure provides for the maintenance of the door-to-door collection system and, in addition to the collection of undifferentiated waste, also includes the creation of new circuits for the collection of bio-waste and so-called ‘monstros’ or domestic monos and cleaning using mechanical sweepers on the outskirts of urban centres and towns. 

The new contract also provides for waste collection to take place exclusively at night, putting an end to daytime waste collection. This avoids road constraints caused by the movement of rubbish lorries and waste remaining on the streets throughout the day. 

The domestic waste collection circuits will therefore be as follows: in the city, the collection of unsorted waste will take place 4 times a week, plus two days for the collection of bio-waste; in the villages, the collection of unsorted waste takes place 3 days a week, with a weekly bio-waste collection complemented by individual and community composting. 
In the parishes, the collection of undifferentiated waste will take place 3 days a week and will be complemented with community and individual composting in a first phase to provide a response to the separation of bio-waste.

As for non-domestic bio-waste, three circuits are planned: one for collection from large producers (companies with canteens), another for collection from the HORECA system (hotels, cafés and restaurants) and a third for collection of green waste from cemeteries.

According to Environment Councillor Hélder Pereira, ‘the new contract has the advantage of not being closed, i.e. if there is a need to create new circuits or extend existing ones, this contract allows it to be done’. 

He added that this procedure also ‘takes into account the new strategic guidelines at national level and the applicable legislation’, in order to include different waste streams, with a special focus on the collection of bio-waste and the various complementary services in terms of urban cleaning, such as the supply, washing, sanitising and maintenance of waste disposal sites.