Latest news and stories about government policy in environment in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
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 UGT national secretariat convenes to discuss labour law reform, while the Assistant Secretary of State and Energy addresses Parliament on the Middle East conflict's economic impact, alongside the Public Finance Council's latest report.
The Portugal Renewable Energy Summit gathers government officials, the European Commission, and key sector leaders in Lisbon.
Science wraps political options in a guise of inevitability. Those who disagree seem to be against science.
The PEV and PAN parties brought concerns to the Lisbon Municipal Assembly regarding the state of urban lakes. The Lisbon City Council guarantees an annual investment of 2.5 million and daily maintenance for the city's 68 lakes and 160 fountains.
The Portuguese government has integrated carbon emission standards into the requirements for public purchasing processes.
Admission is free, subject to prior registration and room capacity. Participate in this discussion forum and register here. With the profound impact of the train of storms still in the country's memory and persistent effects on the territory, the 3rd Local Summit will debate this Wednesday how to create 'future-proof municipalities'...
The Portuguese government is implementing a new framework to incentivise companies to lower their supply chain carbon emissions.
The municipal council requests a meeting with the minister to clarify the Government's positions.
The Government asked the entity that manages Volta, the bottle deposit system, this Wednesday to resolve the problem of litter on the streets, which has been observed mainly near bins in cities such as Lisbon. The Minister of Environment and Energy gave the SDR – Deposit and Refund System a deadline to...
The mayor of Cascais spent EU funds on inauguration parties, justifying them with Brussels' rules. The mayor of Lisbon attacked a recycling system that works in the EU.
For Carlos Moedas, the collection points, designed to anchor a climate policy, are becoming mechanisms that fuel addictions. Opinion by Graça Castanheira
The opposition criticises the speed and lack of information regarding a process they consider “not very transparent”. The municipality guarantees that the project has been under study since 2022.
The Minister of Environment and Energy assured this Thursday that Portugal is in a very good position regarding fuel reserves.
The Left Bloc warns that this is a protected area facing increasing urban pressure. The party wants to know what inspections and oversight measures are being carried out.
Andreia Galvão highlighted the limitations in human, financial, and operational resources that have been publicly pointed out to the bodies responsible for management, surveillance, and inspection.
Civil Protection maintains the alert due to the risk of wildfires in the coming days. In other news, Luís Montenegro praises the President of the Republic for being attentive to the education sector.
Carlos Moedas wants to end Volta, but the Government rejects the idea. Leonor Riso explains what is at stake and what other deposit and refund systems in Europe show.
Six months were enough for the Volta recycling system, which aimed to bring Portugal closer to the standards of countries like Germany or Norway, to shift from a promising initiative to a serious social issue. The debate now centres on whether the model can meet environmental goals without causing social, urban, and economic problems. When Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas calls for the system's suspension, citing images of people climbing into bins to retrieve bottles for the 10-cent deposit, it highlights a growing political crisis. Beyond the public health and cleanliness issues caused by litter, consumers increasingly view the deposit as an unfair mandatory cost, especially when they lose the money by choosing to use standard recycling bins. The system requires urgent adjustments and a clearer communication strategy to address these concerns and resolve inconsistencies in the hospitality sector.
Maria da Graça Carvalho, Minister of Environment and Energy, refused on Wednesday, September 16, to end the Volta bottle and can return system, after being questioned by journalists in Strasbourg regarding the request made by Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas to “cancel it immediately”. The mayor had criticised the programme on Tuesday, stating it is becoming a “tax on those who pay” and a “social drama without precedent in the city”. Despite admitting “some initial problems”, the minister stated that ending the programme is “not on the table”. She added that it is mandatory at a European level and a key instrument for plastic reuse. The minister noted that 304 million bottles have been collected since April 10, exceeding the year-end target of 40%. She acknowledged that the social issues mentioned by Moedas are linked to poverty and homelessness, and suggested that separating returnable packaging from other waste could be a solution to prevent littering.
The Minister refuses the claim that the system is responsible for the “social drama” of people rummaging through trash to collect bottles, as denounced by the Mayor of Lisbon.
Faced with the possibility of ending the deposit and refund system known as Volta, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, is categorical: “No, it is not under consideration. It is mandatory at a European level.” The minister considers the process “successful” and argues that behind the “social dramas” that...
The Minister of Environment admits adjustments, but guarantees that the Volta system will continue. The Mayor of Lisbon advocates for the immediate end of this packaging deposit system.
The Mayor of Lisbon states that the capital “must have the concern of recycling more and more, but an environmental policy should be neither a tax nor a social drama.”
The Government admits there are problems with the Volta System. However, the Environment Minister guarantees that solutions for each of these issues are being analysed and points out that this is a mandatory system throughout the European Union.
More than 7,500 people have signed a petition against some of the principles that will form the basis for the revision of the Sintra Municipal Master Plan, ensuring the topic is brought before Parliament.
The Arruda dos Vinhos City Council considers that the reinforcement falls far short of the budgets for the assessed damages. Furthermore, the PCP says that a Social Security reform would be desirable for the Government.
The Municipal Emergency Fund has been renewed by approximately four million euros. Of this amount, Arruda dos Vinhos and Torres Vedras were each awarded 1,250,000 euros.
The Prime Minister highlighted this Tuesday, August 18, the 'extraordinary work' of the Minister of Internal Administration in preventing and fighting wildfires. It should be noted that Luís Neves has been under fire following several controversies, namely the storage of a seized trailer at the warehouse of a contractor friend and allegedly irregular construction work on a property in the municipality of Odemira. The head of government stressed that 'we are at high risk' of fire, appealed for caution to reduce the number of fires in Portugal as much as possible, and recalled that this 'has been a tough year for several countries' regarding wildfires. These statements were made after a meeting of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) in Carnaxide, Oeiras, for a status update on rural fires. Montenegro emphasized that this year's firefighting force 'is the largest ever' and hinted at criminal activity, referring to a high number of 'nocturnal ignitions' and 'ignitions in nearby areas'. Additionally, he said an extra effort is being made in prevention, with a 'very attentive and implacable look at those who have criminal attitudes', noting that 210 arrests for arson have already been made this year, more than double those made last year, despite the burnt area being four times smaller this year. Montenegro warned against the misuse of fire and outlined a strategy to arrive 'earlier and faster' and coordinate 'forces in service of a common goal' to mitigate the number and effects of fires. Fire in Arouca with four active fronts leads to precautions in two villages. Fire in Santo Tirso active with four fronts and several projections. Montenegro returned to the idea that Portugal 'is a country increasingly recognized from the outside in' and provided some explanations regarding the State's entry into REN's capital, guaranteeing that 'all elements related to this operation will be made available and subject to the scrutiny of the population and political parties'. 'The goal of being in the national electricity grid is to be more permanently in the system to reinforce the grid so it reaches people's homes faster, so that in the medium/long term the cost will be lower', he added.
Maria da Graça Carvalho stated that any “classification or declassification” is the sole responsibility of the government, based on a proposal from the ICNF.
