The Sintra City Council launched this Tuesday the "Sintra + Limpa" campaign, an initiative aimed at residents to raise awareness about the correct disposal of bulky items, green waste and other materials on public roads. The council warns that these wastes should not be placed on the street without first requesting their collection from the parish councils or the Municipal Water and Sewerage Services. Since the beginning of the year, SMAS and the Sintra Municipal Police have already issued 167 environmental fines for illegal dumping of waste on public roads.
The campaign, with the tagline "In Sintra there are no excuses, contribute to 'Sintra + Limpa'," results from a partnership between the City Council, SMAS and the 15 parish councils, also counting on the collaboration of large commercial surfaces in the municipality. The Mayor, Marco Almeida, acknowledges that there is still a small number of people who do not respect the rules and considers the campaign a way of raising awareness for the use of available collection services, emphasizing that "Sintra + Limpa is just a free phone call away."
The campaign provides information about free collection channels, including the parish councils' contacts for bulky items, furniture and mattresses, the SMAS toll-free number 800 210 020 for green and construction waste, and the number 800 262 333 for large electrical appliances in partnership with the Eletrão system. Informational materials are being distributed at large commercial surfaces, consumer bills and other points in the municipality.
Illegal waste dumping constitutes an environmental offense punishable by fines of up to 22,000 euros, and the vehicle used may also be seized in situations of caught-in-the-act. At the same time, the municipality is investing about 12 million euros in the acquisition of 39 vehicles, installing 1,500 new recycling points and acquiring 700 large-capacity containers. Public tenders exceeding 3 million euros for urban waste collection vehicles and over one million euros for parish council vehicles have also been approved.
