The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) marked the start of summer with a communication and awareness-raising initiative highlighting the urgent need for proper urban waste sorting in Portugal, traveling through six districts of the country, from Braga to Portimão.

The final stop of APA’s summer awareness campaign is in the city of Portimão—specifically at the Portimão Marina—running from Friday (9:00 AM–6:00 PM) through Saturday (9:00 AM–8:00 PM) and Sunday (11:00 AM–6:00 PM). Over the coming days, a traveling “Roadshow” truck will invite Algarve communities to reflect on the importance of sorting the waste generated in their homes.

The Roadshow’s sustainable trailer features a quiz testing the public’s knowledge of proper waste sorting, a sustainable consumption simulator that identifies consumer profiles, workshops for creating art from recycled materials, and various family-friendly games, among other activities.

The Roadshow also features a mural that collects the excuses people give for not sorting their waste correctly at each stop—the “Mural of Excuses.” This thought-provoking mural aims to challenge the public to make fewer excuses and recycle more. This latest phase of APA’s “Let’s separate the waste” campaign draws attention to the time of year when urban waste generation spikes. Between June and September 2025, over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were produced, with Portugal generating more than 480,000 tons in August alone. The summer campaign aims to highlight this period of increased waste generation, as July and August are the most critical months in Portugal, with August seeing the highest volume of waste produced.

Against this backdrop, the APA highlights the urgent need for proper waste sorting during the summer holidays, encouraging responsible behaviors that ensure waste is correctly routed for recycling. During this season, when families and friends gather—whether at home or while out and about—proper waste sorting must not be neglected, so as to minimize environmental impact. “Contrary to popular belief, summer is typically the period when the most waste is generated in Portugal.

This trend is expected to continue this year. However, it is important to emphasize that waste generation does not take a break or rest during the summer. With this initiative, we hope to engage communities in an issue that concerns everyone, from the Algarve to the Minho,” notes José Pimenta Machado, President of the APA.

Portimão is the final stop of the roadshow, but the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue until the end of 2026.

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