The two landfills in the Algarve region, located in the Cortelha (Loulé) and Rasmalho (Portimão) areas, are in a “critical” situation, with their capacity expected to be exhausted by 2026, or, if work is carried out, by 2030.

Emídio Sousa, who was speaking in Lisbon at the presentation of an action plan for waste, warned that, of the 35 landfills in the country, only 13 have available capacity of more than 20% and that some could be exhausted in two years if urgent measures are not taken.

The governor also highlighted that the expansion of landfills faces resistance from the population, making the construction of new structures difficult.

The waste action plan is an issue that the Secretary of State considered urgent to address and for which there is an estimated investment of 2.1 billion euros until 2030, 700 thousand of which will result from the various financing programs.

The presentation of the TERRA plan, Efficient Transformation of Waste into Natural Resources, was made at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho recalling that 5.338 million tons of urban waste are produced annually in Portugal, more than countries such as Italy, the Netherlands or Spain.

And 59% of this waste goes to landfills, which not only compromises the response capacity but also distances the country from the European targets of a maximum of 10% of waste going to landfills by 2035. The plan recommends preventing waste production and promoting the circular economy, expanding infrastructure capacity and taking action at an institutional level.

It proposes, in particular, installing two more energy recovery units, one in the Central region and another, smaller one, in Alentejo/Algarve, in addition to increasing the energy recovery capacity at Lipor (North) and Valorsul (Lisbon and Tagus Valley).

Portugal has not invested in energy recovery over the years, as other countries have done, but “it is a correct measure”, said the Secretary of State.

The plan also highlights the importance of implementing the Circular Economy Action Plan 2024-2030, launching a major national awareness campaign, reinforcing sorting capacity and organic recovery, and reinforcing energy recovery.

According to the plan, it is necessary to reinforce investments, speed up administrative procedures or “review legal instruments”.