Portugal Approves €2.3 Billion Waste Investment Plan as Landfills Near Capacity

Portugal's government has approved a €2.3 billion ($2.67 billion) investment plan running through 2030 to address a growing waste disposal crisis, with Cabinet Minister António Leitão Amaro stating that 13 of the country's 32 landfill sites are nearing capacity, calling it one of the country's biggest "hidden problems."

 

Government data shows Portugal generates 5.3 million tonnes of municipal waste annually, with 59 percent currently ending up in landfill, far above the national and EU target of reducing that share to 10 percent by 2035. Leitão Amaro said "we need to act now and act decisively, as Portugal is running out of places to put its waste."

 

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The investment will focus on expanding separate waste collection and recycling, building and upgrading waste treatment infrastructure, processing bio waste, and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. The programme will be financed through a combination of public funding from the central government and municipalities, European Union funds, and private-sector investment from waste management companies.