Lisbon, Dec. 24, 2025 (Lusa) - The festive season in Portugal continues to produce an excess of waste, which is not always managed in the best way, according to expert Susana Fonseca, who regrets the lack of progress in recent decades, particularly by companies.
"There is an excess of packaging. There has been little progress on the part of brands. There has been no transition in terms of sustainability. Disposable models and packaging as a selling point remain," she criticises in statements to Lusa.
Susana Fonseca is vice-president of the environmental association Zero, but 18 years ago she was part of another environmental association, Quercus, when she also pointed out to Lusa the "large number" of the Portuguese population that still did not recycle, in relation to household waste on the 24th and 25th December.
Today (Wednesday), when asked by Lusa what has changed in almost two decades, she says that what is different today is a better network of recycling points, closer to people, which can lead to greater recycling, but adds that, on the other hand, there has been an increase in consumption, with people having "access to many more things", to online shopping, to "fast fashion". "People buy a lot of things".
"These are things on which a lot of money is spent, which produce too much waste and which are sometimes almost waste themselves, useless items that sit in a drawer for years until they also end up in the rubbish", she says.
In recent years, there has also been no "significant change" in the placing of waste on the street on Christmas Day or the day after, forgetting that this is a period of less waste collection, as it is also Christmas time for workers in the sector.
Susana Fonseca does not see much progress in recent years, and to avoid the same discourse in the next 20 years, she advocates a change in the system.
"If we produce less waste by being more rigorous in our choices, we have no direct benefits. We pay for waste based on water consumption (it is a tax included in water bills). Until we create a system where people pay for what they have not separated, the situation will not be resolved," she explains.
She emphasises that we need to take "a step forward" and encourage people to separate and recycle their waste, "penalising those who do not cooperate".
The expert also argues that there is a structural component to change, to make life easier for the population, "because waste management is not the most important thing in people's day-to-day lives".
But when it comes to the last 20 years, she admits to feeling discouraged: "We've been treading water."
With "very low" waste separation rates, with the need to also separate biowaste, and European waste targets that are not being met, a "different approach" is needed, including from local authorities.
With no data to indicate that there is more waste separation at Christmas these days, with "toy packaging still made of paper and plastic", Susana Fonseca appeals to people's conscience. "At least don't put your rubbish on the streets right after the Christmas Eve traditional evening festivities".
And as she has been giving the same advice for 18 years, which is still relevant today, on the use of wrapping paper (ribbons are not recyclable but are reusable) and the management of food waste.
"I like to believe that there are more people doing this, for whom it makes sense. But they are not enough, they are not the majority," she says.
In 2024, 5.52 million tonnes of urban waste were collected in Portugal, 182,800 tonnes more than in 2023, according to official data. Each inhabitant produced an average of 516.2 kilos of waste that year, 11.6 kilos more than the previous year.
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