Portugal needs an "efficiency shock" in its landfill figures and water supply losses, according to the Minister of the Environment Jorge Moreia da Silva, speaking today at the Smart Waste Portugal conference.
According to the minister, the country has made excellent progress in water infrastructure, waste water treatment, bathing water quality, the number of blue flags on Portugal’s beaches, reducing landfill, promoting recycling and producing renewable energy – but it is all relative.
Despite the description that all is well, the minister went on to tell the 33 companies whose representatives were present at the conference that Portugal's waste and water systems could hardly be called efficient.
"A country that still puts 50% of its waste in landfill sites, loses 40% of the water it distributes and depends on 70% of its energy from abroad needs an 'efficiency shock' in order to align growth strategies and competitiveness with the more efficient use of resources."
Smart Waste Portugal was created in February with members involved in household, industrial and or agricultural waste handling.
"We launched a challenge to 300 companies, universities and associations dealing in waste and so far have a membership of 33 from all these sectors," said the association president, Aires Pereira.
Smart Waste Portugal’s first initiative was to commission a study to overcome the sector's ignorance and get a feel for the sector’s business potential.
