Latest news and stories about waste management in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has formally requested that the government immediately cancel the Volta packaging deposit system. The program, which refunds 10 cents for returned single-use containers, has been criticized by the mayor as an environmental policy that has devolved into an unprecedented social drama for the city's residents.
The government has approved the Terra+ strategy to address the country's dwindling landfill capacity, describing it as one of the largest investment programs of the decade. While reports on the total investment amount vary between 1.6 billion and 2.3 billion euros, the plan aims to significantly reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills.
Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho has announced plans for a new waste incinerator in the Algarve, estimated to cost €300 million. Environmental group ZERO has criticized the decision, arguing it undermines the circular economy, though the minister has expressed a willingness to discuss alternatives.
Amid public opposition and an escalating petition for its termination, SDR Portugal has submitted a 14-measure proposal across four key pillars to the Ministry of the Environment. The plan aims to alleviate machine bottlenecks at supermarkets by enhancing coordination among waste management, urban cleaning, and municipal stakeholders.
The cancellation of the Volta project does not require the repayment of Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) funds to the European Commission.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas is urging the Portuguese government to abandon the 'Volta' recycling deposit system, citing social issues and urban waste problems, while the government maintains the system is a necessary European obligation.
The Volta system management entity has lowered its 2026 packaging collection target to 40%, sparking criticism from municipal associations over the regulatory change and a lack of transparency regarding compensation.
Municipalities in the Vale do Lima and Baixo Cávado regions are protesting against the projected increase in costs for managing and treating urban waste. Tariffs and the General Waste Tax (TGR) will increase by 30 euros, reaching 140 euros per tonne.
The country is set to fall short of its glass recycling goals for the current year.
The failure to meet glass packaging recycling targets in Portugal is due, “above all, to a lack of investment in collection”.
ERP Portugal raises concerns about the country's progress in meeting established European Union goals for the collection and recycling of electronic waste.
Portugal failed to meet the established goals for the recycling and collection of electrical and electronic equipment during the year 2025.
The national deposit and return system for beverage containers, launched in April of this year, has been the target of criticism from the Lisbon mayor.
The Deposit Return System in Portugal has hit the milestone of 500 million containers processed and has submitted a proposal for a new cooperation framework.
SDR Portugal, responsible for the deposit and refund system known as Volta, submitted a “cooperation plan” this Friday to prevent and mitigate urban cleaning challenges associated with the system's operation. The association guarantees that the plan contains “concrete” measures but chooses not to specify them. There are 14 in total, divided by...
Portugal is collecting and treating less than half the amount of electronic waste required under European targets, according to environmental association ZERO, which has described the country’s management of e-waste The post Portugal recycling just half its e-waste target, warns ZERO appeared first on Portugal Resident.
The Mayor of Lisbon stresses that the system is causing “serious social problems” in the Portuguese capital.
Portugal produced more waste in 2025 and continues to send the majority to landfill, reports the 2025 Annual Municipal Waste Report, released this week by the Portuguese Environment Agency. The country is thus falling short of European targets. Municipal waste production in Portugal increased by 2% in 2025 compared to the previous year, after...
The environmental association Zero marks International E-Waste Day today by recalling figures showing that less than half of the European target is being recycled, and identifies the Government as the primary party responsible for the “disaster”.
Statistics indicate an upward trend in the generation of municipal solid waste across the country.
The Mayor of Lisbon asked the European Parliament to “review” the Volta system. “I see people in my city searching through rubbish bins every day. I have reports of people who were in drug treatment programmes who abandon their treatment to go to this system to get a few cents for their next...
Leonardo Mathias argues: despite the controversy, Volta is not a political matter. Is action needed? The president of SDR Portugal says yes, but the collaboration of municipalities, such as Albufeira, is necessary.
Environmental organisation ZERO has called for more mechanical and biological treatment of municipal waste in the Algarve, saying sustainable alternatives offer a better solution to landfill-site problems. Speaking to the The post NGO calls for more mechanical, biological waste treatment in Algarve appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Incinerating waste is one of the options to be studied. The Zero association contests this solution, arguing that it is enough to look at the model that works well, and is cheaper, which exists in the Alentejo region.
The Government approved this Thursday the extension, until the end of the year, of the exemption from paying the Waste Management Fee (TGR) resulting from the damage caused by storm Kristin and the cleaning and reconstruction operations. According to the Council of Ministers' statement, a decree-law was approved extending until December 31 the...
The statement follows a letter sent by the Minister of Environment and Energy to SDR Portugal, requesting that they present a plan by the 16th to resolve the issue of waste scattered on the streets.
SDR Portugal says it may finance costs attributable to Volta packaging. Lisbon, which demands the end of the deposit and refund system, remains without the six planned kiosks.
Leonardo Mathias, chairman of the entity managing the Deposit and Refund System for single-use beverage containers, known as Volta, argues that the controversy surrounding the system is of a political and social nature. He assures that he is open to dialogue with municipalities and will comply with the directives of the oversight body. “Volta did not cause a social drama, but it made social failings visible.”
The managing entity of the Deposit and Refund System (SDR), known as Volta, guarantees it will respond to the Environment Minister's request and present an action plan within two weeks to resolve the issue of street litter caused by packaging collection. The Volta manager even admits to financially compensating the...
The Government demanded this Wednesday that SDR Portugal, the entity managing the Volta system, present an intervention plan to prevent and mitigate the system's impacts on urban cleanliness.
SDR Portugal, which manages the Volta system, has until October 16 to submit an 'action and intervention plan' and a 'plan to prevent and mitigate urban cleaning problems' associated with the system.
Luís Filipe Menezes, mayor of Gaia, states that the deposit and refund system for packaging is a “stupid idea” from the European Union that degrades urban hygiene.
