Public consultation opens on Castelo Branco landfill expansion

The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has opened a public consultation, running until 21 August, on a project to expand the non-hazardous waste landfill in Vedulho de Baixo, near Castelo Branco. Operator BioSmart wants to build a third cell, raising total deposit capacity from 488,750 to 639,250 tonnes. The landfill, operating since 2003 with two cells, received 37,355 tonnes of waste in 2023. It has faced past controversy, including parliamentary questions in 2018 and a 2020 Bloco de Esquerda complaint alleging hazardous waste and asbestos-containing materials were received alongside biodegradable waste.