More than 80% of the waste produced in the Algarve still ends up in the region’s two landfill sites, both of which are nearing capacity – a situation which the country’s Environment Minister has described as “deeply worrying”. As a result, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is set to look into “the best location and the best technology” to deal with urban waste.
The matter was one of the central topics discussed during a meeting this week between Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho and representatives of the Algarve’s 16 municipalities, held at the headquarters of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL).
The current state of waste collection and treatment in the Algarve, along with future projects, dominated discussions at the meeting, which was also attended by the Secretary of State for the Environment, and the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).
“At the moment, we are concerned about waste management at national level, and very concerned about the Algarve,” the minister told journalists, noting that the region’s indicators are “even more unfavourable than the national average”.
Urban waste production in mainland Portugal exceeded five million tonnes in 2024, corresponding to an annual average of 517kg per inhabitant, or around 1.4kg per person per day.
Algar, the company responsible for waste management and treatment in the Algarve, processes around 400,000 tonnes of urban waste annually. However, the region continues to record the highest per capita waste production in the country, at 2.39kg per person per day, a figure largely attributed to the Algarve’s fluctuating tourist population, which is not included in official calculations.
According to the latest studies, whilst around 54% of waste nationwide is sent to landfill, the figure in the Algarve exceeds 80%, despite the European Union target requiring Portugal to reduce landfill disposal to 10% by 2035.
“We are far above European targets and also above what is environmentally desirable,” Maria da Graça Carvalho stressed.
The Algarve’s two landfill sites, Sotavento, in Cortelha (Loulé), and Barlavento, in Rasmalho (Portimão), are both facing a critical situation. Over the past year, work has begun on additional landfill cells in an attempt to extend their lifespan by a few more years.
“The landfills we currently have only have capacity for another year and a half based on current waste production levels,” explained António Pina. “However, an additional cell is planned at each site. With that, we may have a time horizon of up to seven years at most, but there is still a long road ahead.”
More than a year ago, during the presentation of the TERRA Plan (Efficient Transformation of Waste into Environmental Resources), then Secretary of State for the Environment Emídio Sousa had already warned that landfill capacity in the Algarve could be exhausted by 2027 unless urgent action was taken.
The Algarve is currently “the worst-performing region in the country in terms of reuse”, António Pina continued, adding that “a huge amount of work remains to be done in recycling and in how we manage waste”.
“For now, we need to reduce the amount going to landfill, although there will always be a residual fraction for which there is no alternative solution. The question is: what solution exists other than landfill? The APA has now been tasked with carrying out that study,” the Environment Minister announced.
According to Maria da Graça Carvalho, “solutions must be found, and there are several solid options available”, although she did not specify them. The agency, she said, “will conduct a study into the best location and the best technology to apply to the residual fraction — waste that cannot be recycled or otherwise recovered”.
Explaining the issue in simpler terms, António Pina said: “Even if we significantly increase reuse and recycling, there will always be a portion of waste, known as the residual fraction, that has to go somewhere. Either it goes to landfill, which means building more landfill sites, or it goes to energy recovery. That is what the APA will study: the different technologies available and the best location for them.”
The TERRA Plan had already proposed the installation of an energy recovery facility “in the Alentejo/Algarve region”, alongside expanded multi-material sorting capacity and increased organic waste recovery.
“The region faces a huge challenge, and we have tried to raise awareness of this among all stakeholders and the people who live here,” stressed the president of AMAL.
The Environment Minister’s visit to the Algarve also included meetings with local authorities to discuss water efficiency, coastal erosion, beach rehabilitation, biodiversity, and the sustainability of natural resources.
During the visit, the minister inspected the completion of sand replenishment works along the coastal stretch between Quarteira and Garrão, in the municipality of Loulé, before later travelling to Faro to present a new management model for the region’s barrier islands.
Source: Sul Informação
