Every year July and August are the most critical months for waste generation in Portugal. Hot weather travel tourism and changes in daily routines cause the volume of waste produced to spike—while simultaneously weakening the habit of sorting waste for recycling. Faced with this scenario—and with the country missing European packaging recycling targets for the second consecutive year—the entities managing Portugal’s waste system have been ramping up campaigns investments and new mechanisms to reverse this trend.

Portuguese Environmental Agency: recycling excuses first

The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) has launched the third phase of the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign focusing specifically on the time of year when waste generation peaks. Under the slogan “recycle your excuses,” the initiative challenges the Portuguese people to abandon common justifications used during the holidays—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”—and to keep sorting their waste even when outside their usual routine.

The campaign developed by the agency Nossa and promoted by Nova Expressão across television radio digital media print and billboards also includes an 18-day nationwide roadshow. This features a mural displaying the most common excuses citizens give for not sorting their waste correctly. The APA also takes this opportunity to remind the public that in areas where separate bio-waste collection has not yet been implemented citizens should contact their local municipality directly. The initiative runs until the end of 2026 with updates available on the campaign website.

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