Recycling tips in Portugal
- Be diligent about sorting your recycling: Make sure you separate your items carefully – you can use websites such as WasteApp to find out which things go in which bins.
- Be mindful of how much waste you produce: Living sustainably can make disposal less hassle and save you money.
- Contact the local authority for tips and information: You can find your local authority by searching on Ecoponto.pt.
- Inform yourself about local initiatives for a circular economy: These include Sociedade Pontoverde and Valormed.
Recycling paper in Portugal
It’s free and easy to recycle paper in Portugal. You can put it into blue bins at an ecoponto,
or arrange a door-to-door collection. In general, if the paper has
liquids, food, paint, or dirt on it, you cannot recycle it. Items that
you can recycle in the blue bins include:
- Cereal and egg boxes
- Newspapers and magazines
- Paper bags
These items should not go in recycling bins but in the grey waste bins:
- Toilet paper, napkins, tissues, and paper towels
- Oily pizza boxes
- Aluminum
- Sticky paper (paper with any kind of adhesive or chemical)
Recycling plastic in Portugal
Plastic waste, such as juice bottles, plastic bags, styrofoam, and
milk cartons, go in the yellow bins at the recycling points or collected
from your home. Make sure you empty the packaging before dropping it
off to make recycling easier.
It is not possible to deposit the following plastic products at the recycling points: