ERSUC has two Sorting Stations located at the Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Treatment and Recovery Centres in Aveiro and Coimbra. At the sorting stations, waste from selective collection, recycling bins and recycling centres is separated, namely paper and cardboard, and plastic and metal packaging.

After unloading, they feed the sorting line and undergo separation from bulky waste. The recyclables then pass through bag-opening equipment, which places all packaging in a condition where it can be separated. Plastic bags are separated by automatic and semi-automatic processes, while the remaining packaging passes through a ballistic separator, which divides it into three fractions: fine, flat and rolling, which are then treated in a sequence of equipment: ferrous metal separators, non-ferrous metal separators and optical separators using infrared technology.

These automatic sorting operations are complemented by manual fine sorting. Once separated, all products pass through a quality control station to ensure they meet the technical specifications required for recycling. Bales of various processed materials are produced, such as cardboard, paper and plastic, among others.

SELECTIVE COLLECTION OF PACKAGING

ERSUC is also responsible for the selective collection of packaging in 36 municipalities on the Central Coast. This service, which is essential to the operation of the sorting centres, is a local service for the population and takes various forms, given the need to adapt to each geographical area and each target group: collection by recycling bins, door-to-door or through voluntary deliveries.
To this end, it has around 13,168 containers for selective collection throughout the Central Coast and currently, Ersuc has 45 Selective Collection vehicles, 17 Door-to-Door Collection vehicles for Commerce and Services and 8 Door-to-Door Domestic Collection vehicles.
This service is provided using geographic information systems and the latest methodologies, with the aim of optimising routes and journeys, monitoring container fill levels and ensuring high levels of efficiency.

ERSUC also has seven Ecocentros, used for selective disposal and specific collection of unsorted waste and organic waste.