Zero blames state bodies as Portugal recycles 32% of electronic waste against 65% target

Environmental group Zero marked International E-Waste Day by condemning Portugal's handling of electrical and electronic waste, which it calls a "descalabro" (fiasco). Official 2024 data show 32% of this waste was collected and treated, under half the EU target of 65%. Zero says that over the system's 20 years the Environment Ministry, the environment agency APA and the economic activities directorate failed in their duties. It cites lax counting rules, a waste-management fee too low to make compliance worthwhile, a target pushed back to 2030 and a monitoring commission idle for two years. From 2027, it warns, the state could face a bill of several hundred million euros from the EU.