‘Paid in Waste’ is part of the Campolide Parish Council’s strategy to drive local sustainable development. The project was conceived in September 2016 as a way of incentivising residents to adopt positive patterns of behaviour in dealing with household rubbish, energising the local economy and strengthening community relations.
To achieve these goals, the Campolide Parish Council has created a local currency denominated in Lixo (waste), which is handed out to residents in exchange for their previously separated household waste (including paper, glass, plastic and recyclable batteries). The currency can be spent at the approximately 70 participating local businesses, including grocery shops, pharmacies, coffee shops, butchers and bakeries, therefore prompting consumers to invest in the local economy. A local central bank –Campolide Central Bank – was set up by the Parish Council to issue and exchange the local currency. Each unit of the local currency is worth one unit of the currency in circulation in Portugal, the euro. Businesses accepting payments in Lixo can also spend it locally or exchange it later for euros at the Campolide Central Bank.
Recognising that local authorities have an important role to play, the Campolide Parish Council has implemented the project Pago em Lixo as an integrated strategy to address three crucial dimensions in improving the quality of life in the community: awareness about the natural environment and waste issues, thriving local economy and active citizen participation.
Pago em Lixo was designed to raise awareness about the environment and the importance of adopting recycling habits. Its appealing features and fresh image are intended to attract residents’ attention, allowing the Parish Council to mitigate knowledge gaps and misconceptions about recycling, which are two of the main barriers to adopting sustainable lifestyles. In seeking to understand how the project works, residents receive information about which materials can and cannot be recycled, how and where to recycle, and the significance of adopting such habits. Interestingly, the project has provoked much media attention. This surge of interest enabled the Campolide Parish Council to explore media platforms to push environmental and recycling issues on the public agenda at the national level. Apart from raising awareness, the project aims to modify people’s outlook and behaviours about waste management. Introducing a local currency to reward residents for recycling is intended to incentivise people to form good, lasting habits and transfer them to their workplaces and the public space.
The introduction of the local currency is also intended to boost the local economy. The amount received in exchange for the separated waste, which is limited to 20 Lixo per exchange, can be spent exclusively in the participating local businesses, therefore retaining the investment in the community. This scheme encourages people to spend locally, contributing to forging new relationships that benefit both the community and the environment.
Finally, Pago em Lixo is a tool for bringing the public administration and the public closer by implicating the latter in the design and implementation of solutions. The project prompts participation, and its success depends on it – a local economic crisis is a powerful motivator for communities to act in a co-operative fashion. Knowing that their participation contributes positively to the community increases social cohesion and strengthens the sense of belonging within the community, making it a healthier, more democratic and more resilient community.