Waste doesn’t take a holiday: APA wants the Portuguese to ‘recycle’ their summer excuses in a new campaign.

The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) is stepping up its environmental communication efforts by launching the third phase of the “Let’s separate the waste” campaign—an initiative focusing on one of the most critical periods for waste generation in Portugal this summer. Every year, July and August see a significant spike in the volume of waste produced, driven largely by increased travel, outdoor activities, and holiday habits. It is against this backdrop that the APA aims to highlight the importance of maintaining—or reinforcing—waste-sorting habits.

Developed by the agency Nossa, this new phase of the campaign introduces the concept that, before recycling waste, one must recycle one’s excuses. The APA identifies a set of common summer justifications—ranging from “it all goes to the same place anyway” to the classic “I don’t want the hassle while on vacation”—and turns them into the direct target of its messaging. The core message is that waste sorting doesn’t take a holiday; the impact of these excuses is real, fueling practices that undermine recycling efforts and place greater strain on landfills.

This new campaign phase follows an earlier stage that underscored the urgent need for proper waste sorting—particularly regarding biowaste, as separate collection systems for this type of waste are not yet implemented in all regions of the country. The APA emphasizes that where no specific bin exists for this type of waste, citizens should contact their local municipality directly—a crucial step toward improving information flow and accelerating the adoption of more sustainable practices.

The summer campaign is being rolled out by the agency Nova Expressão across television, radio, digital media, print, and billboards. Concurrently, the APA is touring the country with an 18-day roadshow, bringing awareness-raising activities to various communities. A highlight among the activations is a mural featuring the most common excuses used for failing to sort waste correctly, challenging citizens to reflect on their behavior and adopt more responsible practices.

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

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APA calls for waste separation during the holidays with a campaign by Nossa

Nossa is behind the Portuguese Environmental Agency’s (APA) omnichannel summer awareness campaign, which encourages people to sort their waste while on vacation. Featured across television, radio, digital media, print, and outdoor advertising, the ads are part of a media plan developed by Nova Expressão.

“During the holidays, it’s common to hear excuses like ‘It all goes to the same place anyway,’ ‘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,” the APA explains in a press release.

The third phase of the ‘Let’s separate the waste” awareness campaign—which features a dedicated website and will run a new wave of activity through December—launches on June 29, just as many Portuguese people are heading off on vacation. The goal is to raise awareness about a problem that intensifies during the hottest months.

“July and August mark the peak period for waste generation in Portugal. Against this backdrop, the APA highlights the urgent need for proper waste sorting—even while on vacation—by promoting responsible behaviors that ensure waste is correctly routed for recycling,” the document states.

The campaign, with PR handled by Corpcom, is being amplified through an awareness initiative touring Portugal over 18 days; this traveling roadshow challenges communities to reflect on the importance of waste sorting.

The initiative includes a display featuring the most common excuses citizens give for not properly sorting their waste; it can be viewed from July 3 to 5 at Praça da República in Braga. Like the campaign itself, the APA roadshow aims to encourage the Portuguese population to make fewer excuses and recycle more.

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APA encourages the Portuguese to “recycle excuses” and separate waste during the holidays.

The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) has launched the third phase of its waste-related communication, awareness, and information campaign, “Let’s separate the waste”, this time focusing on the summer—the time of year when waste generation in Portugal sees the sharpest increase.

The new campaign highlights July and August as the most critical months for waste generation and encourages the Portuguese people to continue sorting waste for recycling while on vacation. Centered on the concept “Start by recycling your excuses,” the campaign—developed by the agency NOSSA—challenges citizens to move past common arguments used to avoid proper waste sorting, 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.”

Through this initiative, APA aims to raise public awareness about the importance of adopting more responsible behaviors during the summer, ensuring that waste is properly routed for recycling. The previous phase of the campaign highlighted the impact of improper waste sorting on landfill capacity in Portugal, with a specific focus on separating bio-waste. However, APA notes that not all regions have implemented bio-waste collection systems and encourages citizens to contact the relevant authorities. “If your area doesn’t have a bio-waste bin, talk to your municipality,” the campaign advises.

The campaign’s message is being disseminated by the agency Nova Expressão across television, radio, digital media, print, and billboards.

In parallel, APA is running a traveling roadshow that will tour Portugal over 18 days, inviting communities to reflect on the importance of waste sorting. Planned activities include a mural displaying the most common excuses for not sorting waste correctly, challenging the public to make fewer excuses and recycle more.

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

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APA encourages recycling excuses and sorting waste, even during the holidays.

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”. This summer campaign highlights the time of year when waste generation spikes, encouraging the Portuguese people to “recycle” their excuses and separate their trash.

July and August mark the peak period for waste generation in Portugal. Against this backdrop, APA emphasizes the urgent need for proper waste separation—even during the holiday season—by promoting 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 anyway,” “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 bio-waste. However, not all regions of the country have implemented separate 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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o caixote estava longe

APA encourages recycling excuses and sorting waste, even during the holidays.

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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Braga hosts APA campaign that challenges the public to recycle more during the summer.

From Friday to Sunday, Praça da República in Braga will host an awareness-raising event organized by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) focused on the proper sorting of urban waste, as part of the national campaign “Let’s separate the waste”. The initiative is part of a traveling roadshow visiting various districts across the country; it aims to raise awareness about the significant increase in waste generation during the summer and to promote more sustainable practices within communities.

In Braga, the event runs from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Friday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday, featuring various interactive activities for all ages. The traveling truck hosts waste-sorting quizzes, sustainable consumption simulators, material reuse workshops, and educational games, all designed to encourage active visitor participation. A key feature of the campaign is the “mural of excuses,” which displays common reasons people give for not sorting their waste, with the goal of encouraging a shift in behavior.

APA notes that summer is traditionally the peak period for urban waste generation in Portugal, emphasizing the importance of maintaining recycling habits even while on vacation or traveling. The campaign reinforces the message that waste production does not decrease during the summer season and that proper sorting is essential to ensure waste is correctly routed for recycling and to minimize environmental impact.

After its stop in Braga, the roadshow will continue to Castelo Branco, Évora, and Portimão through the end of July.

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