Porto Ambiente mobilises 450 staff for Porto’s St John clean-up

As the St John bonfires die down and revellers start heading home, Porto Ambiente’s refuse collection and street-cleansing teams take over. For the municipal company’s workforce, this is widely regarded as the “worst day of the year”, with around 450 staff assigned to protect Porto’s image the morning after the celebrations.

Porto Ambiente’s St John clean-up shift begins at 04:00

At 04:00 tomorrow, the first contingent arrives at Aliados to begin washing down streets and clearing away the traces left by hours of partying. Later, at around 06:00, additional teams come in to reinforce operations and move quickly onto the busiest fronts of the St John festivities.

Priority routes from Aliados to the waterfront

The initial clean-up targets include Amor de Perdição Square, Virtues, Taipas, the main nightlife area, the Riverside quarter and the waterfront. Crews will also work along the riverside road from Freixo Bridge through to the Anemone.

Maximum demand amid a packed events calendar

Planning and the risk of the weather

“It's a very demanding week, which we've been planning for about two or three months. As well as St John, we also had Air Invictus and we're going to have Babell and the World Cup matches broadcast in the Fan Zone in D. João I Square. However, we have excellent professionals who help to put into operation the plan we've built,” explained Tiago Silva, the urban cleansing co-ordinator. Even with every detail mapped out, there are always unknowns that can undermine months of preparation, including the weather.

Public behaviour, extra bins and citywide coverage

According to the director of urban cleansing, Rui Quintela, encouraging residents and visitors to adopt more civic-minded behaviour, alongside adding more public litter bins, will be crucial in reducing pressure on the teams working on the ground. And while the focus is on the most heavily visited districts, the rest of Porto cannot be overlooked.

Pride in keeping the city spotless

Sílvio Tavares, the general foreman for urban cleansing, leads the workers tasked with safeguarding the city’s appearance. “We like to look back and see that everything is clean. It's our image and that's what I fight for; we have to look at this as if it were our home. Even though I expect a tough day, I like the adrenaline,” Sílvio stressed.