The Portuguese Environmental Agency’s mobile truck concludes its summer tour dedicated to the proper sorting of urban waste in Portimão. The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign, promoted by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), will visit the Portimão Marina from Friday, July 24, to Sunday, July 26, featuring an awareness-raising initiative on the proper sorting of urban waste.

Portimão will be the final stop of the roadshow, which has traveled through six districts across the country—starting in Braga—aiming to raise awareness about the increase in waste generation during the summer. The mobile truck will be at the Portimão Marina on Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

The initiative includes a questionnaire on proper waste sorting, a simulator designed to identify participants’ consumption profiles, art workshops using recycled materials, and family-oriented games. The roadshow also features the “excuses wall,” which compiles the reasons people give for not sorting their waste correctly.

According to the APA, the initiative seeks to encourage the adoption of recycling habits. The campaign highlights summer as the period when the highest volume of urban waste is generated in Portugal. Data released by the agency shows that over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were produced between June and September—with more than 480,000 tons generated in August alone.

The APA therefore emphasizes the need to continue sorting waste during the holidays and to ensure it is sent for recycling in order to reduce environmental impact. “Contrary to common belief, summer is consistently the period with the highest waste generation in Portugal.” This year, this trend is expected to continue. However, it is important to emphasize that trash takes no breaks and does not rest during the summer.

“With this initiative, we hope to engage communities in a problem that belongs to everyone, from the Algarve to the Minho,” says José Pimenta Machado, president of the APA. Portimão marks the final stop of the roadshow’s summer tour, although the “Vamos Lixar o Lixo” campaign will continue until the end of 2026.

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