August is the month when the Portuguese generate the most waste. The Portuguese Environmental Agency reveals that 480,000 tons of urban waste were produced last August. A conversation with the president of the Portuguese Environmental Agency, José Pimenta Machado.
Waste generation spikes during the summer months. Last year, between July and September, nearly 2 million tons were produced—with the highest volume in August. The Portuguese Environmental Agency emphasizes the importance of not forgetting to recycle, even during the holiday season. Statement by José Pimenta Machado, President of the Portuguese Environmental Agency.
This weekend, Portimão Marina will host the final leg of the Portuguese Environment Agency’s (APA) summer awareness tour, featuring an interactive campaign designed to encourage residents and visitors to correctly sort household waste during the busiest months of the year.
This initiative is part of the national “Let’s separate the waste” campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the environmental importance of recycling and responsible waste disposal. After visiting six districts across the country, the traveling exhibition concludes its summer tour in Portimão; it will be open 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.
At the heart of the campaign is a mobile exhibition housed in a custom truck, offering visitors a range of interactive activities. These include a quiz testing knowledge on waste sorting, a simulator that assesses sustainable consumption habits, workshops for creating art from recycled materials, and games aimed at families and children. The traveling exhibition also features a thought-provoking installation known as the “mural of excuses,” which displays the most common reasons people give for not sorting their waste; the goal is to challenge visitors to rethink their habits and encourage participation in recycling.
The campaign focuses specifically on the summer period, when waste generation reaches its peak in Portugal. According to the APA, over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were generated between June and September 2025, with the month of August alone accounting for more than 480,000 tons.
The agency encourages families and tourists to continue separating recyclable materials even when away from their usual routines, emphasizing that increased consumption during the summer season should not lead to less effective recycling practices or greater environmental impacts.
José Pimenta, president of the APA, stated that, contrary to popular belief, summer is consistently the period when Portugal generates the highest volume of waste. “Trash doesn’t go on vacation during the summer,” he said, adding that the campaign aims to engage communities across the country in adopting more responsible waste management habits.
Stretching from Braga to Portimão, this marks the final stop of this year’s traveling exhibition, but the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue through the end of 2026.
The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) is holding the final leg of its awareness-raising roadshow on the importance of correctly sorting urban waste at the Portimão Marina, running from Friday through Sunday. This initiative is part of the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign and aims to engage local communities in promoting responsible behavior—especially during the summer, a season that sees a significant increase in waste generation in Portugal.
The roadshow—featuring a mobile unit—will be open 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. It offers various activities, such as a quiz to test knowledge on waste sorting, a sustainable consumption simulator, art workshops using recycled materials, and games for the whole family. Additionally, it features a mural displaying common excuses for not sorting waste correctly, challenging the public to cut down on justifications and increase recycling efforts.
According to APA, over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were produced in Portugal between June and September 2025, with August recording the highest volume—exceeding 480,000 tons. APA President José Pimenta Machado emphasizes that “contrary to popular belief, summer is consistently the period with the highest waste generation in Portugal. This trend is expected to continue this year. However, it is important to highlight that waste doesn’t 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 region.”
During the summer, as families and friends gather at home or go on outings, APA stresses the urgent need to maintain proper waste sorting to reduce environmental impact and ensure waste is correctly routed for recycling.
The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue until the end of 2026, with information constantly updated on the initiative’s official website. The public is invited to participate in the Roadshow activities and to adopt responsible waste-sorting practices in their daily lives.
APA is a public institute responsible for implementing environmental policies in Portugal. Its remit includes monitoring, planning, assessment, licensing, and enforcement, and it operates across the entire mainland territory with a workforce of approximately 1,100 professionals and an accredited laboratory network.
From Friday to Sunday, Portimão Marina hosts the final stop of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) “Roadshow,” an initiative aimed at raising public awareness about the proper sorting of urban waste during the summer. Part of the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign, the tour has visited six districts across the country—from Braga to Portimão—seeking to highlight the rise in waste generation during peak tourist months.
The mobile unit will be open to the public 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. Inside the sustainable trailer, visitors can take a quiz on waste sorting, discover their profile via a sustainable consumption simulator, and attend art workshops using recycled materials. Games and other family-friendly activities are also planned. The initiative includes the “Mural of Excuses,” which compiles the reasons people commonly give for not sorting their waste correctly. The installation aims to challenge the public to “make fewer excuses and recycle more.”
According to data released by the APA, over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were generated in Portugal between June and September 2025. In August alone, the country exceeded 480,000 tons. The Agency identifies July and August as the most critical months due to increased consumption, tourism, and family gatherings.
The campaign therefore aims to remind people that waste sorting and recycling habits should be maintained even while on vacation. “Contrary to common belief, summer is consistently the period with the highest waste generation in Portugal,” states APA President José Pimenta Machado. The official warns that “trash takes no breaks or rest during the summer” and hopes the initiative will succeed in engaging communities in an issue he considers common to the entire country.
Although Portimão is the final stop of the “Roadshow,” the “Vamos Lixar o Lixo” campaign will continue until the end of 2026.
The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) marked the start of summer with a communication and awareness-raising campaign highlighting the urgent need for proper urban waste sorting in Portugal, traveling through six districts across the country, from Braga to Portimão.
The final stop of APA’s summer awareness campaign is in the city of Portimão, at the Portimão Marina, running from Friday (9:00 AM – 6:00 PM) and Saturday (9:00 AM – 8:00 PM) through 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—at every stop—collects the excuses people give for not sorting their waste correctly: the “mural of excuses.” This thought-provoking mural aims to challenge the public to make fewer excuses and recycle more.
The latest phase of the APA’s “Let’s separate the waste” campaign highlights the time of year when urban waste generation sees the sharpest increase. Between June and September 2025, over 1.8 million tons of urban waste were produced; in August alone, Portugal generated more than 480,000 tons.
This summer campaign aims to raise awareness about the period of peak waste generation, as July and August mark the most critical months in Portugal—with August seeing the highest volume of waste produced. In this context, the APA emphasizes 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 consistently the period of highest waste generation in Portugal. This trend is expected to continue this year. However, it is important to stress that waste does not take a break or rest during the summer.
With this initiative, we hope to engage communities in a problem that affects 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 through the end of 2026.
