Portugal approves €2.3bn waste strategy as landfills run out of space

The government approved the TERRA strategy to overhaul Portugal's waste management, requiring €2.3 billion in investment by 2030. Minister António Leitão Amaro warned that 13 of the country's 32 landfills are running out of space, with more than half of urban waste still ending up there, far from the EU's 2035 target of just 10%. Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho ruled out building new landfills, instead prioritising waste reduction, recycling and biomethane production. She said an incinerator is being studied for the Algarve, where landfills are nearly full and waste generation is double the national average.