Petition against Portugal's Volta deposit scheme tops 37,000 signatures

A public petition demanding the immediate suspension of Portugal's "Volta" bottle deposit-refund scheme has surpassed 37,000 signatures, well above the 7,500 needed for parliamentary debate. Filed on 15 August and now with the Environment and Energy Committee, it accuses Volta of shifting costs to consumers, lacking transparency and failing its environmental goals, and demands an independent audit of SDR Portugal, the industry body running it. The scheme, launched in April, refunds a 10-cent deposit on single-use bottles and cans. Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho has acknowledged implementation problems, including packaging left on public streets, but says these are being resolved case by case.

This appeared in the Pulse of 25 August 2026 — Read that edition →