Portugal's urban waste rises again in 2025, with 55% still landfilled
Portugal generated 5.7 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2025, about 509 kg per person and 2% more than a year earlier, which itself had jumped nearly 4%. The Portuguese Environment Agency says progress was limited and the country remains far from national and EU targets. Only 24% of waste is collected separately, while 55% goes to landfill against a 10% goal; 14% is recycled. Biowaste makes up over a third of mixed refuse. The agency urges prevention, better separate collection and pay-as-you-throw charging.
Portugal collects under 30% of e-waste, far short of the EU's 65% target
Waste electrical and electronic equipment contains valuable metals such as gold, silver, palladium and copper, but also hazardous substances in glass screens and batteries, including lead, lithium and cadmium. Correct recycling can save 60–95% of the energy and 40–90% of the water needed to make the same metal from virgin materials. The EU wants 65% of equipment placed on the market to be collected, yet Portugal remains below 30%. Retailers are expected to provide accessible collection and work with certified handlers. Consumers can hand in an old large or medium appliance on delivery of a new one, and drop small items in store, free of charge.
Portugal's environment agency to study Danish waste solutions for possible use at home
The Portuguese Environment Agency will sign a protocol with several universities by the end of October to examine which Danish waste management and recovery solutions could work in Portugal. The decision follows an early-October visit to Denmark by the environment minister, a secretary of state, the agency's president and Algarve mayors. They toured the Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen. Denmark sends little more than 1% of its waste to landfill and has ten separation categories. The study comes as several Portuguese landfills near capacity and the new Volta deposit-refund scheme faces criticism, with over 480 million packages returned since April.
Lisbon mayor asks Brussels to rethink Portugal's 10-cent bottle deposit scheme
Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas told reporters in Brussels that the Volta packaging deposit scheme, which refunds 10 cents per container, needs revising. He says its rollout is causing serious social problems in the capital, claiming some people in addiction treatment have left it to collect bottles for drug money. After meeting EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall, he said she promised a technical meeting involving the Commission, the government and Lisbon council. He wants flexibility like France, where the scheme was suspended in some cities. Matosinhos mayor Luísa Salgueiro said she sees no such problems in her municipality. The scheme has operated since 10 April.
Moita tenders €837,000 contract for door-to-door food waste collection
Moita town council has launched a public tender worth €837,345 for a two-year door-to-door collection of biodegradable waste. The service will cover about 1,550 collection points, both household and commercial. Three household routes each serve roughly 450 points, while a non-household route covers around 200, including 32 school canteens. Vehicles must carry geolocation systems so the council can follow their routes in real time. The waste goes to the Palmela Ecopark run by Amarsul; the contractor must weigh what it collects, but the council pays the disposal costs. Companies can bid until 11 November.
JPP proposes Saturday waste collection pilot for Câmara de Lobos
The JPP party will table a proposal at Thursday's municipal executive meeting in Câmara de Lobos for home collection of bulky and garden waste over longer hours, including every Saturday morning, in all five parishes. It would run as a pilot of at least 180 days, with collection booked in advance, and would include an assessment of the ARM service. The party says it is aimed at people who work all week or have no means of taking such waste to the newly announced recycling centre at Ribeiro Real. Councillor Miguel Ganança welcomed that centre, which JPP has demanded since 2021, and now wants a timetable, access conditions and an opening date.
Portugal commits €30 million to reuse treated wastewater
Portugal is putting 30 million euros into treating wastewater so that it can be reused rather than discarded. The reclaimed water is intended for irrigation, industry and urban spaces, with the aim of easing pressure on existing water resources.
Algarve water utility puts Guadiana intake and desalination plant at €305 million
The new chair of Águas do Algarve told a parliamentary committee that the Albufeira desalination plant and a Guadiana intake at Pomarão will together cost about €305 million. The Pomarão scheme, linked to the Odeleite dam, is put at €188.7 million, with seven bids still to be assessed. The plant, already under construction, is put at €116.9 million and is due to start operating in early 2029. Both projects are meant to secure supply: the Guadiana intake would add an average of 16 cubic hectometres a year, and the desalination plant the same in its first phase.
Seven Viseu-area councils vote to join Águas do Douro e Paiva water utility
Seven municipalities in the Dão and Médio Vouga regions — Viseu, Mangualde, Nelas, Penalva do Castelo, Sátão, São Pedro do Sul and Vouzela — have approved joining Águas do Douro e Paiva, the company said. The move extends the multi-municipal water supply system serving greater Porto's south. It brings the shareholder count to 27 councils and the service area from 2,715 to 4,446 square kilometres. Planned works include a new treatment plant and dam at Fagilde, new pipelines, and a link between the Douro-fed Lever system and Fagilde, to cope better with drought or breakdowns. The expansion will be phased. The councils' decisions now go to the Environment and Energy Ministry, before the legal and contractual arrangements are formalised.
Alentejo water utility tenders €5.9m upgrade of São Teotónio supply network
Águas Públicas do Alentejo has opened a tender worth €5.9 million, excluding VAT, to build pipelines, reservoirs and pumping stations in the São Teotónio subsystem on the Odemira coast. The works cover the parishes of São Teotónio and Boavista dos Pinheiros and are expected to take 630 days, about 21 months. The new infrastructure will connect to the São Teotónio, Boavista, Fataca, Zambujeira do Mar and Brejão systems, so several coastal communities stand to benefit. Existing supply must keep running throughout the works. The tender is launched, but the award date and the start of construction are still unknown.
Azores government schedules second phase of Calhetas cliff protection for 2027
The Azores regional government plans to start the second phase of coastal protection at Calhetas, in Ribeira Grande, in the first half of 2027. The estimated cost is €3.7 million plus VAT, covered by European regional funding under Azores 2030. The tender is due this year, with 18 months of works to follow. This phase will stabilise the cliff slope and crest, using sprayed concrete anchored by steel bolts near buildings, plus a footpath, walls and repaving on Rua da Boa Viagem. The government explained that nothing was built in 2026 because the €250,000 budgeted went on design work and a mandatory external technical review. The PS opposition had questioned the delays.
Ronaldo-backed €19m water bottling plant under construction in Bragança village
Groundworks are under way in the village of Gostei, in Bragança, for a water bottling plant costing close to €20 million. The company behind it, Maravilha Decimal, is owned equally by the Outeirinho Group and Cristiano Ronaldo. The building should be up by March or April, with the plant ready by the end of 2027 and operating in early 2028, able to bottle 500 to 600 million litres a year. It will start with 30 to 35 staff and three filling lines, and the output, an alkaline, antioxidant water, is destined for export. Funding is private for now, though Portugal 2030 money may be sought for exterior finishing.
Caixa Geral de Depósitos raises €500 million in green senior bond
Caixa Geral de Depósitos has issued a €500 million green senior preferred bond with a four-year term, which the bank can repay early after three years. The notes are backed by a portfolio of loans on residential and commercial property. Institutional investors placed 148 orders worth more than €3.3 billion, about 6.6 times the amount on offer. The United Kingdom accounted for 31% of demand, France for 26% and the Benelux countries for 17%. The issue is expected to be rated A by S&P, Baa1 by Moody's and A (High) by Morningstar DBRS.
