Waste treatment. Facilities. By types

Composting

Degradation of organic matter using aerobic microorganisms. The result of this process is the production of compost or biostable matter and carbon dioxide. Invertebrates (insects and worms) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) help to transform the material into vegetal fertiliser. Composting is a natural way of recycling, as continuously happens in nature.

Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW)

Biodegradable organic waste of vegetable and/or animal origin likely to be biodegradable, basically consisting of food preparation waste, leftover food waste and food in poor condition and small-sized, non-woody plant waste.

Incineration

Controlled technical process that uses thermal decomposition, usually by means of oxidisation, to turn waste into less voluminous, non-toxic or non-harmful materials. The thermal destruction of waste involves exposing it to high temperatures, almost always in an oxidant medium. For waste to be destroyed by incineration, it must consist totally or partially of components that are combustible or that can be adapted to such a condition.

Methanisation

Anaerobic digestion. This involves controlled fermentation of the organic matter. The biological organisms that degrade the matter need an oxygen-free (anaerobic) atmosphere. This process releases biogas.

Industrial waste

Waste derived from manufacturing or industrial activities or processes. Can be: special or non special.

Municipal waste

Domestic waste and waste from shops, services, offices and other waste that, due to its nature or composition, may be similar to domestic waste.

The European Union indicates that one of the areas of political action is waste management, in accordance with the basic principles of generating the minimum amount and managing it efficiently.

The availability of regular, representative and reliable data on the generation, collection and treatment of waste provides information describing the situation and state of waste, as well as making comparison between different territories possible.

The Catalan Waste Agency publishes annual data on the generation of municipal waste, on the basis of data provided by different local entities responsible for the collection and treatment of municipal waste.

From 2003, including for the calculation of generation per capita, the registered population has been used. In 2002, the Population and Housing Census 2001 was used, and in 2001 and 2000 the Population Statistics 1996 were used. Note that the seasonal tourist population supported by some municipalities has a higher generation of waste per capita.

In terms of selective collection, the difference between the total from adding the geographic partials (counties and areas of the territorial plan) and the total published for Catalonia is due to the existence of commercial waste that cannot be attributed to specific territories. The "Others" category includes waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), batteries, medications, textiles, rubble and other special waste. Home composting, which was considered for the first time in 2012, has been included in the "Organic Material" category.

Provisional data.

Unavailable information is represented using the symbol ":". When the value is lower than that of the minimum unit to be able to estimate the statistical operation or if it effects statistical confidentiality, the symbol used is "..".