Spain: First experience of a pay-as-you-throw scheme

In 2003 the town of Torrelles de Llobregat (Barcelona) introduced a door to door waste collection scheme, through which the different waste fractions were collected on different days at the buildings entrance. Alongside, the municipality introduced a waste charge that directly linked the fee with the amount of waste generated of certain fractions. The inorganic fraction (packaging + refuse) was collected using standardized bags by the Town Council with a stipulated cost of 0.60 and 1.50 €/unit, depending on its size. Three months after the implementation, recycling levels increased up to 70%, with a very high quality of materials separation.