Faro, Portugal, Aug. 10, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese environmental organisation Zero stated on Monday that the construction of an incinerator in the Algarve constitutes a decision that is «detrimental» to the public interest, arguing that prevention, reuse and recycling should be the priorities.
«The construction of a new incinerator is a bad decision for many reasons, including the diversion of vital financial resources away from a sector that requires significant investment to genuinely promote the circular economy,» the organisation said in a statement.
This stance follows the announcement on Saturday in Faro by the minister for the environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) will proceed with a project to install a waste-to-energy plant in the region.
According to the association, the infrastructure «will jeopardise» Portugal's ability to meet its recycling targets, given that it already incinerates almost 20% of its waste.
«If the 2035 recycling target is 65%, and 10% can go to landfill, that leaves only 5% for incineration. Is such an investment justified for the sake of 5%? Where is the reduction that the minister is always talking about?», ask the environmentalists.
Zero criticises the government's strategy, arguing that reducing landfill to 10% by 2035 cannot be separated from the European targets for preparing waste for reuse and recycling.
The association points out that Portugal currently sends 54% of its waste to landfill, according to figures cited by the minister, and maintains that the country is not meeting the European target of 55% preparation for reuse and recycling.
In its view, incineration should be a «last resort», only after measures such as localised separate collection, decentralised composting and policies on waste prevention and reuse have been implemented.
The environmental organisation also warns of the financial impact of the new infrastructure – the investment, which could exceed €300 million, will ultimately be reflected in the charges paid by municipalities, citizens and businesses.
The focus on incineration, it adds, will divert resources away from circular economy solutions and could prolong dependence on treatment processes considered less appropriate under the European waste hierarchy.
Environmentalists also reject the notion that population growth and increased tourism in the Algarve, in themselves, justify the construction of an incinerator, citing examples of European regions with high levels of tourist pressure that have achieved better recycling results through separate collection schemes.
«Waste management in tourist areas cannot be based on collection systems focused on unsorted waste. Municipalities in the Algarve have delayed decision-making and have been complicit in the appalling management of waste collection,» says Zero.
The association will request «an urgent meeting» with the minister for the environment to clarify her statements regarding the future waste-to-energy plant and the waste management strategy for the Algarve (Faro district).
On Saturday, the minister indicated that the APA will launch a tender on 15 October to study the technical solution for the plant and its location.
The current operational landfill sites in the Algarve, in Loulé and Portimão, only have the capacity to receive waste for a maximum of two years, she added, noting that the region – which produces the most waste per capita in the country, as tourists are not included in the averages – generates 400,000 tonnes of waste annually.
She stated that the solution under consideration will be implemented «in agreement» with the 16 municipalities of the Algarve, represented by the regional Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), and will enable the region to tackle «the waste problem», whilst benefiting from available European funding.
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