Portugal has approved a €2.3 billion (£1.9 billion; $2.67 billion) waste management plan through to 2030 as the country faces shrinking landfill capacity and an urgent need to improve recycling.
The TERRA+ strategy was approved by the Portuguese Government on Friday and will fund expanded separate collection, new and upgraded treatment facilities, bio-waste processing and measures to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.
António Leitão Amaro, Portugal’s Minister of the Presidency, said the country was running out of space for waste, with 13 of its 32 landfill sites nearing capacity.
About €1.6 billion of the investment is expected to come from public funds. The plan is intended to increase the recovery of materials and provide additional treatment capacity while reducing reliance on landfill sites.
Portugal’s waste crisis puts recycling targets at risk
Portugal produces around 5.3 million tonnes of municipal waste each year, with 59 per cent currently sent to landfill, according to government data.
That figure is well above the European Union target of limiting landfill to no more than 10 per cent of municipal waste by 2035. Portugal’s strategy also aims to reach a 60 per cent rate of preparation for reuse and recycling by 2030.
The Portuguese Environment Agency said the country remained some distance from its recycling and landfill targets, although performance had begun to improve. Its latest assessment recorded 52 per cent of municipal waste being sent to landfill in 2024, using the calculation applied to the official target.
The TERRA+ programme will set out measures to prevent waste, increase separate collection and strengthen recycling and recovery systems, with the Government saying new solutions are needed to ease pressure on existing landfill infrastructure.
