Latest news and stories about recycling in Portugal for expats and residents.
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Portugal is investing €150 million in a new recycling system aimed at improving the collection and processing of bottles and cans. This initiative reflects the country's commitment to sustainability and environmental protection by modernizing waste management infrastructure. The investment is part of broader efforts to promote recycling, reduce environmental impact, and align with European environmental standards.
The “Volta” initiative refunds 10 cents to those who deposit plastic and metal packaging into the system, which the Minister of Environment hopes will help meet national and European recycling targets.
Materials can be delivered to the municipal yards, located in the town's industrial area, every day, including weekends, between 08:00 and 17:00.
Handing in bottles and cans for recycling will 'pay out' from 10 April. The government wants to adapt the same collection-and-refund system to other waste streams.
The figure represents a 34% increase compared with 2024.
Electrão said in a statement that in 2025 it collected 613 tonnes of equipment, notably 250 tonnes of washing machines and dishwashers and 250 tonnes of fridges and chest freezers.
The deposit-return scheme will require staff to count and sort collected packaging. Companies participating in the tender do not have 'facilities with the capacity to carry out the service'.
If you are reading this article in an app, open the quiz here. From 10 April 2026 the Deposit and Return System (SDR) comes into force; it aims to promote the circular economy by recovering single‑use beverage packaging in bottles and aluminium or steel cans...
In 2025 the Portuguese separated 2% more packaging for recycling than in 2024, totalling 486,990 tonnes, but Portugal once again failed to meet packaging recycling targets, announced Sociedade Ponto Verde, the organisation that manages this waste. Glass and ECAL (carton packaging for liquid food) were again the most ...
People in Portugal separated 2% more packaging for recycling in 2025 than in 2024.
Despite boosting investment in recycling infrastructure and programmes, Portugal did not meet the European recycling targets.
The new Deposit and Return System (SDR) will allow packaging to be returned at reverse vending machines, collection points and kiosks, offering multiple refund options and boosting the circular economy in Portugal. The deposit will start to be charged from April and can be reclaimed in cash, vouchers or donations.
The system will include a network of 2,500 automatic collection machines for single‑use beverage containers and more than 8,000 manual collection points distributed across the country.
Home News Portugal to apply can return system Portugal to apply can return system Starting in April, cans and bottles of beverages will cost 10 cents more, according to SIC Notícias.
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) warns that more than half of the waste produced in Portugal is sent to landfill — including untreated organic waste, which is illegal. A new campaign encourages waste separation and recycling.
The Portuguese Environment Agency has launched the second phase of an awareness-raising campaign on the issue of waste.
The City Council also says that, of the total collected, three tonnes were recyclable waste, which “demonstrates care and civic-mindedness on the part of the population”.
Under the title 'environmental laggards', waste management association Electrão today launches an awareness campaign on separating packaging, exposing the country's lag in recycling those materials.
The phenomenon was once again noticeable on Thursday morning at Lisbon's recycling collection points.
The Christmas period in Portugal continues to generate excessive waste, much of it poorly managed, with little progress made over the past two decades, according to environmental expert Susana Fonseca. The post Christmas waste levels in Portugal unchanged after 20 years, says environmentalist appeared first on Portugal Resident.
In this episode we speak to Rita Torres, Marketing Manager at Água de Luso, about sustainability, marketing and the idea of turning a Christmas gift wrap into an environmental gesture with real impact.
