Sustainable Living
The week in the Pulse · 12 – 18 October 2026

Can Portugal repair what it already has?

Portugal is confronting the upkeep of systems it already has. Ageing water networks lose about 190 million cubic metres a year, while 55% of municipal waste still goes to landfill. This week brought practical responses, from wastewater reuse and food-waste collection to seed banking, managed grazing and work on Alentejo soils, alongside sharp questions about ecological cost.

7 daily editions · 274 stories · 7 regions

What shaped the week

Portugal’s water debate is shifting from expansion to care. Local pipes are replaced at 0.5% a year, and about 190 million cubic metres of water are lost annually. A €30 million programme will support treated wastewater reuse for irrigation, industry and urban spaces. Yet new supply infrastructure remains contested. Four groups say the proposed Foupana dam would damage fish and lynx habitat, and dispute its case as a drought response. Together, the stories show that resilience involves choices about repair, reuse and ecological cost. Waste exposes a similar gap between systems and outcomes. Portugal generated 5.7 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2025, up 2% in a year; 55% went to landfill and 14% was recycled. At Moita-Palmela, inspections found breaches of licence conditions and landfill rules. Moita has meanwhile tendered €837,345 for door-to-door food-waste collection at about 1,550 household and commercial points. It is a concrete response within the same regional waste system now under scrutiny. Other responses take a longer view. Portugal’s fifth Svalbard deposit adds 334 bean, cowpea and maize accessions, taking its Arctic backup to 1,861. In Montalegre, a cross-border project will trial about 100 GPS collars and virtual fencing to test how mountain grazing can manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk. In the Alentejo, coverPLUS combines cover crops, organic fertilisation and a digital twin intended to forecast fodder output. Both field projects run to 2028, while the seed vault protects material for future need.

Stories behind the week

Repair, reuse or build

Portugal’s water challenge is now about ageing networks as well as supply. Investment in pipe renewal and wastewater reuse sits beside a disputed Algarve dam, where drought planning, biodiversity and confidence in environmental assessment collide.

Portugal's water sector shifts focus from building networks to renewing ageing ones

Portugal's water operators and its regulator agree the priority has moved from building infrastructure to renewing and modernising what exists. Pipes are being replaced at only 0.5% a year in local networks and 0.2% in bulk systems, while about 190 million cubic metres a year are still lost. Climate change adds longer droughts and sudden heavy rain. The industry body APRH, regulator ERSAR, INDAQUA, EPAL and two local utilities call for better asset records, digital monitoring and sustained investment. National plans put needs above €10 billion.

Energy, Water & MobilityRead the full story →

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.

Energy, Water & MobilityRead the full story →

Four environmental groups oppose Foupana dam over threats to Algarve fish and lynx

Almargem, ZERO, Quercus and PPSBAA have lodged negative opinions in the public consultation on a planned dam on the Foupana stream, in Alcoutim and Castro Marim, costing an estimated €150-200 million. They want the Portuguese Environment Agency to issue an unfavourable environmental impact declaration. They say the dam would be a false answer to drought and would wipe out the endangered saramugo downstream, block migratory fish and cut across lynx habitat. They also question the impact study's methods and raise a possible conflict of interest involving the promoting association and the new state water company.

AlgarveEcosystems & BiodiversityRead the full story →

Waste meets reality

National figures show waste rising and landfill dependence far above the target. Breaches at Moita-Palmela reveal the consequences, while Moita’s planned door-to-door food-waste service offers a concrete local attempt to separate organic material.

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.

Products, Consumption & CircularRead the full story →

Regional authority confirms breaches at Amarsul's Moita-Palmela landfill after environmental group's complaints

Lisbon and Tagus Valley's regional coordination commission (CCDR-LVT) has told the environmental association ZERO that inspections found illegalities at the Amarsul landfill in Moita-Palmela, including breaches of its licence conditions and of the landfill waste regime. Legal procedures have been started. ZERO says the core problem is the dumping of organic waste that has not been stabilised, banned since 2020. It wants the plant's mechanical and biological treatment unit enlarged and door-to-door bio-waste collection expanded, with pay-as-you-throw tariffs. Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente data show Amarsul sent 75% of the region's urban waste to landfill in 2024, including 112,000 tonnes untreated.

LisbonProducts, Consumption & CircularRead the full story →

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.

LisbonProducts, Consumption & CircularRead the full story →

Planning beyond the present

Seed backups, GPS-managed grazing and Alentejo soil trials prepare for risks that unfold over years. The work ranges from an Arctic collection to field projects running through 2028, linking conservation with practical farm management.

Portugal sends 334 more crop samples to Svalbard seed vault

Agriculture Secretary of State João Moura will attend a deposit ceremony at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway on 13 October. Portugal is adding 334 accessions: 303 of common bean, 18 of cowpea and 13 of maize. It is the country's fifth delivery since 2018, bringing its total to 1,861 accessions held as backup copies in the Arctic. The seeds come from the national germplasm bank run by INIAV. The institute also takes part in a century-long seed longevity experiment, and since 2023 Portugal has sat on the vault's advisory board.

Food & AgricultureRead the full story →

Montalegre launches GPS collar trial to bring grazing herds into wildfire prevention

A Portugal-Spain cooperation project called GEXPOCTEP will trial about 100 GPS collars linked to virtual fencing, letting farmers monitor and manage livestock remotely on extensive mountain grazing land. Presented in Montalegre on 8 October to over 70 participants, it aims to cut wildfire risk by using grazing to manage vegetation, to boost native breeds such as Cachena, Barrosã, Garrano and Galega, and to keep people in rural uplands. Drones and monitoring sensors are also planned. Backed by Interreg Spain-Portugal, it runs to the end of 2028 with over €2.26 million and ten partners.

NorteEcosystems & BiodiversityRead the full story →

Portalegre polytechnic launches project to regenerate Alentejo farm soils with cover crops and digital twin

The Polytechnic University of Portalegre is running coverPLUS, a project to improve the fertility of farmland in the Alentejo and make more efficient use of resources. Coordinated by Luís Alcino da Conceição, it runs until August 2028. It combines cover crops and organic fertilisation, intended to raise soil organic matter and help soils hold water and nutrients, with a three-dimensional digital-twin model to forecast fodder output. Farmers will receive practical training and technical support in adopting digital tools. Eligible investment is €49,025.70, 85% of it funded by the ERDF through the Alentejo 2030 programme.

AlentejoFood & AgricultureRead the full story →

The map keeps filling in. This week we added 12 projects and 110 events. Sustainable Living now connects 475 projects, 226 upcoming events and 983 people across Portugal.

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