Speaking to journalists in Braga—where he took part in an awareness-raising event for the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign—José Pimenta Machado was blunt in his assessment of the country’s waste management performance.

José Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), lamented today that Portugal sends 50% of its waste to landfills and warned that “we need to pick up the pace and make changes,” as the goal is to reduce this figure to 10% by 2035.

Speaking to journalists in Braga—where he took part in an awareness-raising event for the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign—José Pimenta Machado was blunt in his assessment of the country’s waste management performance.

“The bad news is that, over the last seven years, our figures for separate waste collection have stagnated; they haven’t risen above 20%. We want to see a significant increase—especially regarding biowaste (…). And more than 50% of waste goes to landfills. It is no longer possible to build new landfills in Portugal. Therefore, the focus must be upstream—on collection, prevention, and generating less waste. That is where our hope lies,” he said.

APA’s president highlighted key national waste management targets to underscore the call for waste separation. Alongside the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, and the Mayor of Braga, João Rodrigues, he emphasized that this is a collective effort involving both central government authorities and local municipalities.

“We have a target for 2035: we need to reach a 65% rate [for waste separation]. So, we have to move—we have to pick up the pace. And, as I mentioned, we currently send over 50% of waste to landfills, a figure we must reduce to 10% by 2035. This is a major challenge for the country. We all have a role to play in this,” he stressed.

The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign is touring the country with a physical setup featuring exhibits, information, and games specifically designed for children and young people; it is also open to school visits, as highlighted by João Manuel Esteves.

“Young people have a great advantage: they compel all of us to think. We have to do better; we have to sort our waste (…). We want a circular economy—one that makes use of exactly what we throw away, transforming it into value,” said the official, emphasizing the importance of this campaign, which takes place in the summer because that is when the most waste is generated.

“It is in the summer that we produce the most waste. It is during these four months—from June to September—that the country generates 40% of its total waste. Each of us produces half a ton of waste annually. That is 519 kilograms a year, or 1.4 kilograms a day. And within that 1.4 kilograms, bio-waste accounts for 40%,” noted APA’s president.

Pimenta Machado added another appeal: “The best waste is the waste that isn’t produced in the first place—hence our focus on prevention and our daily choices. We often end up burying valuable products; if you sort your waste, you can recover that value, create a new product, or even produce green gas.”

Following its summer focus, the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue through the end of the year.

The roadshow includes a quiz to test public knowledge on proper waste sorting, a sustainable consumption simulator that identifies consumer profiles, workshops for creating art from recycled materials, and various games. It also features an “mural of excuses” displaying the reasons people often give for failing to sort their waste correctly.

The APA—a public institute within the State’s indirect administration—is the entity responsible for implementing environmental policies in Portugal, with a mandate covering monitoring, planning and evaluation, licensing, and enforcement.

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Speaking to journalists in Braga—where he took part in an awareness-raising event for the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign—José Pimenta Machado was blunt in his assessment of the country’s waste management performance.

“The bad news is that, over the last seven years, our figures for separate waste collection have stagnated; they haven’t risen above 20%. We want to see a significant increase, especially regarding bio-waste (…). Furthermore, over 50% of waste ends up in landfills. In Portugal, it is no longer possible to build new landfills. Therefore, the focus must be upstream—on collection, prevention, and generating less waste. That is where our hope lies,” he said.

APA’s president highlighted national waste management targets to underscore the call for waste separation. Alongside the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, and the Mayor of Braga, João Rodrigues, he emphasized that this is a collective effort involving both the central government and local authorities.

“We have a target for 2035: we need to reach a 65% rate [for waste separation]. So, we need to get moving—we need to pick up the pace. As I mentioned, we currently send over 50% of our waste to landfills, and we must reduce that to 10% by 2035. This is a major challenge for the country. We all have a role to play in this,” he stressed.

The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign is touring the country with a physical setup featuring exhibits, information, and games designed specifically for children and young people; the site is also open to school visits, as João Manuel Esteves pointed out.

“Young people have a great advantage: they compel all of us to think. We need to do better; we need to separate our waste (…). We want a circular economy—one that makes use of exactly what we throw away, turning it into value,” the official said, highlighting the importance of holding this campaign during the summer, as this is the time of year when the most waste is produced. “It is in the summer that we generate the most waste.

It is in the summer—during these four months from June to September—that the country generates 40% of Portugal’s waste. Each of us produces half a tonne of waste annually. That amounts to 519 kilograms per year, or 1.4 kilograms per day. And within that 1.4 kilograms per day, bio-waste accounts for 40%,” noted APA’s president.

Pimenta Machado added another appeal: “The best waste is the kind that isn’t produced in the first place—hence our focus on prevention and our daily choices. We often bury products that actually have value; if you separate waste, you can recover that value, create a new product, or even produce ‘green gas’.”

Following its summer focus, the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue through the end of the year.

The roadshow features a quiz on public knowledge regarding proper waste separation, a sustainable consumption simulator that identifies consumer profiles, workshops for creating art from recycled materials, and various games. It also includes an “mural of excuses” displaying the reasons people often give for failing to separate waste correctly.

The APA—a public institute within the State’s indirect administration—is responsible for implementing environmental policies in Portugal, with a mandate covering monitoring, planning, assessment, licensing, and enforcement.

José Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), expressed regret this Friday that Portugal sends 50% of its waste to landfills, warning that “we need to act fast and change” because the target is to reduce this figure to 10% by 2035.

Source

José Pimenta Machado, president of the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), expressed regret this Friday that Portugal sends 50% of its waste to landfills and warned that “we need to pick up the pace and make changes,” as the goal is to reduce this figure to 10% by 2035.

Speaking to journalists in Braga—where he took part in an awareness-raising event for the “Let’s separate the waste
” campaign—Pimenta Machado was blunt in his assessment of the country’s waste management performance.

“The bad news is that, over the last seven years, our figures for separate waste collection have stagnated; they haven’t risen above 20%. We want to see a significant increase, especially regarding bio-waste (…). And more than 50% of waste goes to landfills. It is no longer possible to build new landfills in Portugal. Therefore, the focus must be upstream—on collection, prevention, and generating less waste. That is where our hope lies,” he said.

APA’s president highlighted national waste management targets to underscore the call for waste separation. Alongside the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, and the Mayor of Braga, João Rodrigues, he emphasized that this is a collective effort involving both the central government and local authorities.

“We have a target for 2035: we need to reach a 65% rate [for waste separation]. So, we have to move fast; we have to pick up the pace. As I mentioned, we currently send over 50% of waste to landfills, and we need to cut that down to 10% by 2035. This is a major challenge for the country. We are all called upon to tackle this,” he stressed.

The “Let’s separate the waste” campaign is touring the country with a physical setup featuring exhibits, information, and games designed specifically for children and young people; the site is also open to school visits, as noted by João Manuel Esteves.

“Younger people have a major advantage: they compel all of us to think. We have to do better; we have to sort our waste (…). We want a circular economy—one that makes use of exactly what we throw away, turning it into value,” said the official, highlighting the importance of this campaign, which takes place in the summer because that is the time of year when the most waste is generated.

“It is in the summer that we generate the most waste. It is during these four months—from June to September—that the country produces 40% of its total waste. Each of us generates half a ton of waste annually. That amounts to 519 kilograms a year, or 1.4 kilograms a day. And within that 1.4 kilograms of daily waste, bio-waste accounts for 40%,” noted APA’s president.

Pimenta Machado added another appeal: “The best waste is the waste that isn’t produced in the first place—hence our focus on prevention and our daily choices. Often, we end up burying products that actually have value; if you separate them, you can recover that value, create a new product, or even produce green gas.”

Following the summer focus, the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign will continue through the end of the year.

The roadshow features a quiz to test public knowledge on proper waste separation, a sustainable consumption simulator that identifies consumer profiles, workshops for creating art from recycled materials, and various games. It also includes a “mural of excuses” displaying the reasons people often give for failing to separate their waste correctly.

The APA—a public institute within the State’s indirect administration—is the entity responsible for implementing environmental policies in Portugal, with a mandate covering monitoring, planning and evaluation, licensing, and enforcement.

Source

Praça da República in Braga is hosting the national roadshow “Let’s separate the waste” from today through Sunday (July 3–5). This initiative is promoted by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), supported by the Environmental Fund, and co-financed by European funds; it aims to raise public awareness regarding the proper separation and recovery of biowaste.

The campaign seeks to encourage the adoption of more sustainable habits by promoting the separate collection of organic waste and helping to reduce the amount of such material sent to landfills.

The initiative’s official presentation was attended by Braga’s Mayor, João Rodrigues, who highlighted the project’s importance in addressing the environmental challenges faced by a growing municipality.

“This project is crucial for waste management in a city that is constantly growing and needs to adapt its environmental responses to that dynamic,” the mayor stated.

João Rodrigues also emphasized the importance of environmental education for younger generations, noting that fostering awareness about waste separation from an early age is essential.

“It is vital to educate people early on about the importance of waste separation, ensuring that new generations grow up knowing that bio-waste is significant and that its proper treatment makes a real difference,” he remarked.

Also present at the event was the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, who described the initiative as a collective commitment to sustainability. “We want a clean Portugal,” the official stated, arguing that achieving this goal depends on active citizen participation and the success of local outreach campaigns like the one taking place in Braga.

Meanwhile, the president of the Portuguese Environmental Agency, José Pimenta Machado, warned of the increase in waste generation during the summer, stressing the need to step up awareness-raising efforts at this time of year.

The launch of the roadshow also involved around 150 children from local schools and private social solidarity institutions (IPSS), who took part in educational and recreational activities focused on the separation and recovery of biowaste.

Through this initiative, the organizers aim to reinforce the role of environmental education from an early age and encourage more responsible behaviors, thereby fostering greater community participation in sustainable waste management and environmental protection.

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Praça da República in Braga has become the epicenter of sustainability with the launch of the national roadshow “Let’s separate the waste”. The initiative, running from today, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, 2026, is promoted by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), with support from the Environmental Fund and co-financing from European funds. Its primary goal is to raise awareness and mobilize the community regarding the proper separation and recovery of biowaste (organic waste).

The event’s official presentation at Braga’s iconic “Arcada” brought together government officials, local leaders, and environmental executives, and was notable for the strong presence of around 150 children from local schools and social welfare institutions (IPSS).

Braga’s Mayor João Rodrigues emphasized the campaign’s crucial impact on the local strategy, noting that the project arrives at the right moment for a city experiencing continuous growth—a city that needs to align its environmental responses with this demographic dynamic.

The mayor focused on education, highlighting the strategic commitment to training the younger generation. For Rodrigues, early education on the importance of waste separation ensures that new generations grow up aware that organic waste holds value and that its proper treatment makes a significant difference to the urban ecosystem.

The event’s national significance was underscored by the Secretary of State for the Environment, João Manuel Esteves, who described the commitment to recycling as vital for everyone, linking it to the goal of building a “clean Portugal” through grassroots, community-focused actions.

Meanwhile, APA’s President José Pimenta Machado highlighted the seasonal challenges facing sustainability. He noted that the arrival of summer and the rise in tourism lead to increased waste generation, making it even more urgent to reinforce these awareness campaigns among residents and visitors to prevent organic matter from unnecessarily ending up in landfills.

Throughout the weekend, the roadshow venue will offer recreational and educational activities as well as interactive experiences for families, turning citizens into active agents in promoting a culture of environmental responsibility.

Source