Latest news and stories about recycling 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.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has urged the Portuguese government to immediately terminate the Volta packaging deposit system, citing it as a source of significant social distress despite its environmental intentions.
Portugal has launched the 'Volta' deposit return scheme, adding a 10-cent surcharge to plastic bottles and cans to boost recycling rates to 90% by 2029, though early public feedback highlights concerns over system efficiency and accessibility.
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.
Between those who collect cans and bottles over several days and those who no longer leave home without them, the system is changing habits.
Unemployed and 60 years old, Maria walks through the Terreiro do Paço area every day looking for bottles and cans. In one or two hours, she manages to collect between seven and ten euros—money that, she says, can be the difference between being able to afford a meal or not.
David lives on the street and Jorge in a hostel. Every day they scour Lisbon looking for containers to deposit in Volta machines to earn some money. They manage to collect 20 or 30 euros a day, but they say that broken machines turn the collection into a race with no guarantee of a reward.
What is trash to some is, for David, Jorge, António, Maria, and Rasham, often the difference between eating and not eating. Volta has created a new form of income for those experiencing homelessness, but it has also brought conflicts, scattered litter, and machines that do not always work. Between those who collect, those who clean, and those who receive the packaging, this is a portrait of a city where every bottle is worth ten cents.
The mayors of the AML, meeting in the Metropolitan Council, unanimously condemned the “harmful” social and environmental effects of the packaging deposit system.
The municipalities of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) unanimously contested the Volta packaging system today, arguing that it is not working and has harmful social and environmental effects, while advocating for an urgent review.
Opposition to the Deposit and Return System (SDR) has intensified in recent days, with the Mayor of Lisbon even calling for the suspension of the process, which has already prompted a refusal from the Government. It is in this context that Volta's new campaign hits the streets, which...
Moedas suggests that Portugal should emulate France's approach to recycling, but notes that this would require recycling bins to collect over 80% of packaging.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has called on the government to immediately scrap Portugal’s Volta bottle and can deposit-return scheme, claiming it has created serious social and urban hygiene problems in The post Lisbon mayor calls for end of Volta recycling scheme appeared first on Portugal Resident.
A recycling and reuse policy “is necessary”, states the Social Democrat Carlos Moedas. But “it should be neither a tax nor a social drama”.
The managing entity of the Deposit and Refund System (SDR), which operates under the Volta brand, is strengthening its network for collecting packaging outside of supermarkets. Almost five months after the launch, six Volta kiosks are already in operation, and agreements are in place with six other municipalities for the implementation of these structures, which...
They put money inside the recycling bins and spontaneous order did the rest...
The Lisbon Residents' Association is proposing to the City Council, local parish councils, and SDR Portugal (the entity managing the deposit system) that they install 'Volta' packaging collection points in litter bins, recycling banks, and used oil containers to overcome urban hygiene issues.
Residents in Lisbon want mini-containers next to recycling islands, similar to those in Germany and Denmark, to prevent people from rummaging through trash in search of packaging.
It is unquestionable that the VOLTA! system needs a turnaround. But what should concern us most is the nature of the problems that this system brings to the surface.
The ten-cent refund per can or bottle is working, but it has created a new hunt for trash. Martim Andrade explains the risks, conflicts, and stories he found on the streets of Lisbon.
In operation for three months, specifically since April 10, the 'Volta' system allows consumers to recover the 10-cent deposit value per package paid at the time of purchasing single-use bottles and cans.
The recycling incentive scheme offering a ten-cent refund per unit has had an unexpected effect on urban hygiene. “There are people from various social strata” rummaging through the trash, says a parish council president.
The Norwegian company managing the project's operations aims to have more cup return machines by the end of July. Between 600 and 700 cups are already being returned weekly.
The Ponto Verde Academy, the educational project of Sociedade Ponto Verde aimed at the school community, has already begun its summer campaign on Portugal's beaches.
The system, named Volta, aims to recycle 90% of covered products by 2029.
A return system for plastic and metal packaging comes into force this Friday.
