The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) is launching the third phase of its waste-related communication, awareness, and information campaign—which is reaching millions of citizens—titled “Let’s separate the waste”. According to a press release, this summer campaign highlights the time of year when waste generation peaks, encouraging the Portuguese people to “recycle” their excuses and separate their trash.

According to the same source, July and August mark the most critical period for waste generation in Portugal. Against this backdrop, APA emphasizes the urgent need for proper waste separation—even during the holiday season—and promotes responsible behaviors that ensure waste is correctly routed for recycling.

The awareness campaign, developed by the agency NOSSA, introduces a crucial step in the recycling process: challenging citizens to recycle their excuses first. During the holidays, it is common to hear excuses such as “it all goes to the same place,” “the bin is too far away,” or “I don’t want the hassle while on vacation.” This is precisely the obstacle the campaign seeks to overcome, inviting the Portuguese people to leave excuses behind and adopt more responsible habits. In short: Start by recycling your excuses.

The previous phase of the campaign demonstrated how the failure to properly separate waste is exhausting landfill capacity in Portugal, specifically highlighting the need to separate biowaste. However, not all regions of the country have implemented bio-waste collection, and information regarding waste collection and treatment is not always clearly communicated. Consequently, APA encourages citizens to contact the relevant authorities: “If your area doesn’t have a biowaste bin, speak to your municipality.”

The agency Nova Expressão is responsible for disseminating the message across various channels, with the summer campaign appearing on television, radio, digital media, in the press, and on billboards.

Alongside the campaign, APA is running an awareness-raising initiative that is touring Portugal over 18 days via a traveling roadshow, inviting communities to reflect on the importance of waste sorting. A highlight among the various activities is a mural directly linked to the campaign launched today: it features the most common excuses people give for not sorting their waste correctly and challenges the public to make fewer excuses and recycle more.

The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign runs until the end of 2026.

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