São João: Porto Ambiente mobilises 450 staff for Porto clean-up

As the São João bonfires begin to die down and revellers start considering the journey home, Porto Ambiente’s street-cleaning and waste-collection teams will begin their shift. On what is regarded as the municipal company workforce’s “worst day of the year”, around 450 staff have been assigned to restore Porto’s appearance after a long night of celebrations.

São João clean-up starts at dawn

The first team will arrive at Aliados at 4 am tomorrow to start clearing the streets, removing the remnants left by people who spent hours celebrating. Shortly afterwards, at around 6 am, “reinforcements” will arrive to tackle the areas where São João festivities are at their busiest. Largo Amor de Perdição, Virtudes, Taipas, the nightlife district, Ribeira and the waterfront, from Freixo Bridge to Anémona, will be the first places targeted for cleaning.

Maximum demand

“This is a highly demanding week, which we have been planning for around two or three months. Alongside São João, we have also had Air Invictus, and we will have Babell and World Cup matches shown in the Fan Zone at Praça D. João I. However, we have outstanding professionals who help put into operation the plan we have developed,” said Tiago Silva, urban cleaning coordinator. Although every detail has been planned, unforeseen circumstances, such as the weather, can still undermine months of preparation.

Keeping Porto clean beyond the busiest areas

Nevertheless, according to urban cleaning director Rui Quintela, encouraging residents to behave responsibly and increasing the number of waste bins on public streets will be valuable support, reducing the burden on the operational teams working on the ground. While the main focus will be on the most heavily visited locations, cleaning in the rest of Porto cannot be overlooked.

Sílvio Tavares, the general urban cleaning supervisor, leads the workers tasked with safeguarding the city’s image. “We like to look back and see that everything is clean. It is our image, and that is what I fight for; we have to treat this as if it were our own home. Although I expect a tough day, I enjoy the adrenaline,” Sílvio stressed.