The Ministry of the Environment had announced, at the beginning of December, the creation of the deposit and refund system (SDR), which consists of paying a deposit for a package and being reimbursed upon delivery, which covers plastic and metal beverage packaging, but not glass.

According to the statement released at the time, the Government predicted that the SDR will have a “very positive impact on the collection rates of plastic and metal beverage packaging”, also contributing to a reduction in urban cleaning costs on the part of municipalities.

Extended Producer Responsibility (RAP) can be extended to other waste streams, such as furniture, mattresses, home self-care products and related waste (which result from the provision of health care carried out by citizens themselves or their caregivers, without intervention from professional health care providers, namely, needles, syringes, compresses, among others), “thus responding to the current lack of solutions for the management and end-of-life treatment of these products”, pointed out the Ministry.

Data from the Annual Urban Waste Report for 2022 indicate that Portugal recycles only 33% of the urban waste it produces.

On November 29, the Council of Ministers had approved the decree-law that changes the waste management regimes, depositing waste in landfills and managing specific flows subject to the principle of extended producer responsibility.

The meeting's communiqué detailed that the objective of the change was to support and promote innovation and the development of new products from waste.

At the same time, licensing procedures are simplified, “without neglecting the protection and preservation of the environment”.