Trash Guide Portugal
Portugal has a well-established recycling system that aims to reduce waste and increase the reuse and recycling of materials. In recent years, the country has made significant investments in its waste management infrastructure and introduced new laws and regulations to encourage greater participation in the recycling system and to reduce the amount of waste generated.
Portugal is a beautiful country known for its historical sites, delicious food, and sunny beaches, but it could be better at recycling and waste management. According to EU data, recycling in Portugal accounted for only 29% of municipal Waste in 2019, whereas the latest European average is around 48%.
Portugal’s Recycling System
The recycling system in Portugal is focused on separate collection, where different types of waste are collected separately and processed accordingly. There are several types of recycling bins available, including those for paper, glass, plastic, and organic waste. This system makes it easy for households and businesses to recycle and reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
One of the key achievements of the recycling system in Portugal is its high rate of recycling, particularly for paper and cardboard, glass, and certain types of plastics. This is due to a combination of the separate collection system and the investments made in the recycling infrastructure. The country has a network of recycling facilities that process the waste collected from households and businesses, making it easier for people to recycle and reducing the environmental impact of waste.
In addition to the separate collection system, Portugal has also introduced new laws and regulations to encourage greater participation in the recycling system. For example, the government has introduced a ban on certain single-use plastics, such as straws, cutlery, and plates, to reduce the amount of waste generated. This has helped to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and to encourage more people to participate in the recycling system.
Despite the bad reputation of Waste, Portugal is committed to recycling:
- Paper (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and cartons)
- Plastics (e.g., bottles, straws, and packaging)
- Metals (including aluminum foil)
- Beverage packaging
- Batteries
- Electrical products
- Pharmaceuticals
- Small quantities of hazardous or chemical Waste (e.g., detergents, varnishes, paints, oils, cosmetics, and cartridges)
What Happens To Recycled Materials In Portugal?
What is the next step in the recycling process after waste separation?
Items collected in containers are sent to the sorting yard (Estação de Triagem), where they are sorted according to their material. The material is then shipped through Sociedade Ponto Verde’s recycling service, and the selected product is sent to a recycling company to make new products.
This rigorous process allows recycled materials to be used to create new everyday items such as clothing, textiles, furniture, drains, vases, and even toilet paper.
Unfortunately, non-recyclable Waste ends up in landfills or incinerators. In recent years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of Portugal’s Waste has ended up in landfills.
Recycling in Portugal 4,444 people in Portugal are required to separate recyclables and place them in appropriate containers at Ecoponto or recycling centers. In some areas, it is also possible to organize recycling collection as part of your household bill.
Learn How To Live A Sustainable Life In Portugal
Municipalities in Portugal deal with garbage and recycling, and there are colored bins (ecoponto) for household waste throughout the country. You can even find these trash cans on the beach!
Lisbon has implemented several waste reduction projects and was awarded the European Green Capital Award 2020. It includes several environmental commitments for the future. These commitments included waste reduction and door-to-door organic waste collection.
Collection times vary by municipality. Check with your local waste disposal company for specific dates.
You can also use WasteApp, a useful mobile app that tells you how to dispose of all sorts of products.
Paper Recycling In Portugal
Paper can be recycled for free and easily in Portugal. You can put it in the blue bins on the ecopont or organize the door-to-door collection. In general, if there is liquid, food, paint, or dirt on the paper, it cannot be recycled. Items you can recycle in the blue bins include:
- Cereal and egg boxes
- Newspapers and magazines
- Paper bags
These items should not go in the waste bins but in the gray waste bins:
- Toilet paper, napkins, tissues, and paper towels
- Greasy pizza boxes
- Aluminium
- Adhesive paper (paper with any type of glue or chemical)
- Plastic recycling in Portugal
Plastic Recycling In Portugal
Plastic Waste such as juice bottles, plastic bags, Styrofoam, and milk cartons go into the yellow bins at recycling points or are collected at your home.
Make sure you empty the packaging before dropping it off to facilitate recycling.
It is not possible to drop off the following plastic products at collection points:
- Fuel bottles
- Cartridges
- CDs and DVDs
- Hangers
- Plastic cutlery
- Cork stoppers
- A pen
- Colorful bottle caps ready for recycling
According to the Portuguese Environment Agency (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente – APA), Portugal only recycled 36% of its plastic packaging waste.
Glass Recycling In Portugal
Glass can be recycled in the green ecopontos bins or collected from your home. You can use the green bins for the following:
- Beverage bottles
- Bottles of olive oil
- Glass
- Bottles for perfumes and cosmetics
However, you must not store dishes, glass panels, lamps, medicine containers, or building materials in these containers.
The glass collection rate in Portugal is less than 50%, which is in stark contrast to the 90% collection rate in countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Metal Recycling In Portugal
Metal items can also be recycled in yellow Ecoponto containers. Metal cans, aluminum trays, metal lids, aerosol cans, and toothpaste tubes can be recycled in the yellow bin.
The following metal items must not be recycled in the yellow bin. Apparel and other fabrics) should be donated to the Apparel Fund if possible.
Textile Recycling In Portugal
The local animal shelter also appreciates donations of used towels and sheets. There are also groups where fabrics can be exchanged and reused. Generally, used clothing that is not badly damaged or soiled can be recycled.
According to a 2020 study by menswear brand Labfresh, Portugal is the second most unsustainable country in Europe when it comes to textile recycling, with around 6.6 kg of textile waste being landfilled or incinerated per year.
In 2017, textiles accounted for 4% of all Waste generated in Portugal.
Disposal Of Other Household Items In Portugal
Non-recyclable and non-hazardous household waste should be disposed of in ecoponto’s gray bins.
Some items cannot be recycled in the gray bin and must be placed in: However, this option is not available in all municipalities.
Electrical Appliances: Electrical products should be taken to larger recycling centers.
Bulky Waste: Larger Waste can be taken to a recycling center and, in some cases, collected by the municipality.
Cell Phones: Old cell phones can be returned to ERP collection points.
Composting In Portugal
Brown bins from ecopontos are for organic Waste. You can also use this organic Waste to compost at home using plastic compost bins available at DIY and Lidl stores.
When composting, it’s best not to throw meat, fish, dairy, and pet waste in the trash. In the Portuguese climate, these items can quickly deteriorate and attract foul odors and insects.
Garden Waste Composting In Portugal
You can compost your garden waste or take it directly to a recycling center. Some garden materials that can be composted are plant debris, weeds, grass clippings, and young shoots. You can also add ingredients like dry chopped leaves, wood, and dry straw-like corn stalks. We do not recommend composting paper or cardboard as it may contain non-biodegradable materials.
Garbage Collection In Portugal
Local authorities collect non-recyclable Waste from bins in front of houses and in front of collection points.
If you have collectibles in your home, dispose of your trash in a sturdy bin, such as a wheeled bin. It is against the law to dispose of household waste in public trash cans. You may also contact your local authorities to arrange a collection service for large items or other general Waste. After collecting the Waste, recycling services take it directly to landfills and incinerators.
You need to use garbage bags for the gray bins. You can get them for less than 2 euros per pack at your local grocery store (mercenaries) or supermarket (supermercado).
General Household Waste
Residual Waste is non-hazardous household waste that cannot be recycled. It should be placed in a gray box.
Recycling
Products intended for recycling must be shipped to recycling points (ecoponto) in multi-colored containers. Each color is associated with a material type.
The glass must be recycled in green containers without lids or necks and properly emptied.
Plastic bottles, metal containers, and beverage cartons (Embalagen packaging) must be recycled into yellow containers.
Paper (paper) and cardboard must be recycled in the blue container.
Textiles should be left in the garment tin where possible. The association accepts old clothes, and nurseries and childcare centers value donations of towels and sheets. There are also groups that exchange or reuse fabrics.
Dangerous Or Toxic Products
Medicines must be returned to the pharmacy.
Batteries must be placed in the red box at the recycling point (ecoponto).
Small hazardous Waste or chemical Waste such as detergents, paints, varnishes, oils, cosmetics, or cartridges and toners should be taken to recycling centers equipped to handle such Waste. Contact the City Council to find out in advance.
Disposal Of Bulky Items
Bulky items should be taken to a recycling center. Pick-up service can be provided at the mayor’s office.
Electrical and electronic devices must be taken to a recycling center. Some areas offer pick-up service. If you purchased a new product, the store must accept the old product.
Please leave Waste after repair and construction at the recycling center.
Although some policies and directives date back to the 1970s and 1980s, the current approach was published in the Waste Framework Directive, first adopted by the European Parliament in 2008.
When Will My Trash Be Collected In Portugal?
Trash collection schedules in Portugal vary by region. Lisbon’s city officials clean up trash every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can find garbage collection schedules by visiting your municipality’s website and searching for “dias de lixo” or “coleta de lixo”. Faulty containers can cost you exorbitant costs in Portugal.
In Porto, for example, you can face fines of up to 5,000 euros for throwing garbage in the wrong container. Fines vary from municipality to municipality, so check which container it belongs to before you throw it away.
Useful Resources
REA Portugal – A waste management service providing information on waste management
APA – A government agency dedicated to improving waste management policy and sustainable development
Portugal Visitor – A useful guide to ecoponto bins to properly dispose of Waste Helps you. bins
Lisboa. Pt – Check the garbage collection schedule and locations in Lisbon.
Municipal waste management and recycling in Portugal are the responsibility of the municipalities.
Find Your Local Waste Management Officer (Portuguese Website)
There are two types of systems used in packaging. In the consignment system, the consumer pays a deposit on the packaging, which is refunded when returning the used packaging, for example, a bottle. The integrated waste management system consists of single-use packaging. It is marked with a green dot symbol indicating the recycling method.
The Green Dot system is operated by Sociedade Ponto Verde.
Picks up Waste every other day from recycled materials and residual Waste. Your municipality may provide a collection time and date schedule.
Waste Framework Directive
Waste Framework Directive is a comprehensive document that performs several functions. It defines important terms to create a common language for discussing topics. Two of these are relevant to today’s discussion.
Waste: Any substance or object that has been, is intended to be, or is to be discarded by its owner. (In short, this is what we throw away.)
Municipal Waste: Mixed Waste, including paper and cardboard, glass, metal, plastics, biological Waste, wood, textiles, packaging materials, electrical and electronic waste, household waste equipment collected separately; bulky Waste, including used batteries and accumulators, mattresses, and furniture. (Like household waste, only city-wide.)
Before and after, The Waste Framework Directive and other statutes were codified into law in Portugal and other EU countries. A policy is created. Programs are developed and implemented by Portuguese companies, government agencies, and municipalities.
Here’s something really important.
The directive also defines a five-level “waste hierarchy” that establishes a preferred order in which Waste is treated and disposed of. The diagram below shows the concept.
Diagram Of The Waste Hierarchy
The idea here is that preventing Waste is better than treating it. The various stages actually form a funnel that minimizes the amount of Waste going to landfill.
Prevention: Taking steps to extend the useful life of products, thus preventing them from being discarded. Examples: Designing and manufacturing products to use fewer resources more efficiently and that can be repaired, reused, or upgraded, thus extending their lifespan.
Encouraging food donation that prioritizes human use over animal feed.
Preparing for Reuse: Checking, cleaning, or repairing items or their components that have been discarded so they can be reused without further processing. Example: Reconditioning used appliances so they can be resold and reused.
Recycling: Recovery and recycling of materials into the same or different products. Examples: Used oil is re-refined, and waste materials are used to make paper and cardboard.
Refurbishment: The recovery of Waste or parts so that they can be reused in lieu of new materials. Examples: land reclamation for agriculture, use of Waste as fuel for energy production, and extraction of precious metals from catalytic converters.
Disposal: The last option is to send the Waste to a landfill.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Portugal’s recycling system is a key aspect of the country’s efforts to become more sustainable and to reduce its impact on the environment. With its focus on separate collection, high rate of recycling, and investments in the recycling infrastructure, Portugal is leading the way in waste management and is setting an example for other countries to follow. By participating in the recycling system and reducing waste, households and businesses can play an important role in creating a more sustainable future for Portugal and the world.
The government has also made significant investments in the recycling infrastructure in recent years, including the construction of new recycling facilities and the expansion of existing ones. This has helped to increase the capacity of the recycling system and to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills.