AML is developing a metropolitan action plan
As part of the Metropolitan Waste Working Group, which includes representatives of the 18 municipalities, the Lisbon Metropolitan Area is developing a metropolitan action plan for urban waste management, which is intended to be consensual, ambitious and realistic, in order to meet national and European objectives.
The current situation - the negligible evolution of take-back and capture rates in recent years (despite the efforts made), the very considerable increase in waste treatment costs, the lack of medium/long-term solutions for the disposal of non-recycled waste (rest fraction), the poor assumption of packaging waste management costs by the entities responsible, the lack of financial incentives and the imperative need for the sector to evolve - is the starting point for the urgent construction of a metropolitan strategy.
These concerns have also been reflected in the current government, and a working group has recently been created, of which the Lisbon Metropolitan Area is a member, with the mission of developing the Landfill Emergency Plan and the medium-term strategy at national level - as can be seen in the Order no. 14013-A/2024, of November 26.
Lisbon region needs 900 million euros by 2030
In order to achieve the objectives of the National Strategic Plan for Municipal Waste (PERSU 2030), it is expected that more than 900 million euros of investment will be needed in the municipal solid waste management system by 2030, so that its 18 municipalities and the region can achieve the European and national targets stipulated by PERSU 2030 - Strategic Plan for Municipal Waste 2030.
The figures calculated are based on the action plans (PAPERSU) drawn up by the municipalities and urban waste management systems (SGRU), Amarsul, Tratolixo and Valorsul (in the case of Valorsul, the investments calculated include the needs of the entire Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, not just AML), in line with PERSU 2030, and include investments in infrastructure and activities developed for the renovation, upgrading and expansion of waste collection and treatment systems (infrastructure and training).
A review of the municipal action plans shows that they are unfeasible within the timeframes set out in PERSU 2030, given the current framework, especially due to the lack of adequate funding for the sector.
Municipalities and municipal solid waste systems are therefore reformulating their action plans, giving more importance to the possibility of sharing infrastructure in order to optimize efforts and investments regionally and nationally (a measure provided for in PERSU 2030).
Who is who? - Management Entities of Urban Waste Management Services
| Municipality | "Low" | "High" |
| R e c o l l e > T r a t m e n t | ||
| Mafra | CM MAFRA | TRATOLIXO |
| Sintra | SMAS SINTRA | |
| Cascais | EMAC EM SA | |
| Oeiras | CM OEIRAS | |
| Amadora | CM AMADORA | VALORSUL SA MULTIMUNICIPAL |
| Lisbon | CM LISBOA | |
| Odivelas | SIMAR LOURES | ODIVELAS | |
| Loures | ||
| Vila Franca de Xira | CM VILA FRANCA XIRA | |
| Almada | CM ALMADA | AMARSUL SA MULTIMUNICIPAL |
| Seixal | CM SEIXAL | |
| Barreiro | CM BARREIRO | |
| Bush | CM MOITA | |
| Alcochete | CM ALCOCHETE | |
| Montijo | CM MONTIJO | |
| Sesimbra | CM SESIMBRA | |
| Setúbal | SMS SETÚBAL | |
| Palmela | CM PALMELA | |
Financial Counterpart Amounts
From the perspective of the systems responsible for the collection and treatment of waste (municipalities - low and multi-municipal or inter-municipal systems - high, responsible for the collection and treatment of municipal waste), the financial contribution amounts are an important source of revenue, necessary to support the large costs they have with the selective collection and sorting of packaging waste.
In accordance with the principle of extended producer responsibility (as established in Decree-Law no. 152-D/2017, of December 11), the costs of selective collection and sorting of packaging waste must be fully borne by producers/packagers and not passed on in the tariffs that upstream systems charge downstream, and the latter to citizens.
See here for relevant information from AML on the counterpart values.
RecolhaBio
The program RecolhaBio - Support for the implementation of biowaste selective collection projectswas created by the Environmental Fund to help municipalities implement solutions for separation and recycling at source and the selective collection of bio-waste.
It aims to return the waste management fee to municipalities, depending on their bio-waste management policies. Since 2022, municipalities have benefited from this program, which takes place annually.
Protocols have been signed annually between the Environmental Fund and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, which is responsible for assessing and monitoring the implementation of applications.
It should be noted that the new legal framework includes, among other things, measures to prevent food waste (biowaste) as part of the effort to combat food waste, as well as targets for reducing landfill disposal.
This revision introduced the obligation for municipalities to implement separation and recycling solutions at source and the selective collection of bio-waste from 2023.
From 2030, in the member states, landfills cannot accept any waste with recycling potential, particularly municipal waste.
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