In a statement, the waste management entity for electrical equipment, batteries, and packaging notes that the initiative to collect large household appliances free of charge from people’s homes has completed 5 years and collected more than 1,300 tons of electrical waste.

Last year alone, 613 tons were collected (457 the previous year), especially washing machines and dishwashers, which accounted for more than 250 tons of the total.

Electrão's campaign began in 2021 as a pilot project in some parishes of Lisbon (with lower collection rates), but it now covers 12 municipalities in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the Western Region, with the aim, according to its managers, of expanding the service to more municipalities.

“Over the course of five years, we have managed to remove more than 1,365 tons of electrical waste from our streets and ensure its proper treatment. This is an essential contribution to the circular economy and, above all, to simplifying the lives of those who want to recycle correctly,” said Ricardo Furtado, Director-General of Electrical and Batteries at Electrão, quoted in the statement.

Last year, in addition to washing machines, refrigerators and freezers also represented a considerable weight in the final balance, 250 tons, followed by 55 tons of screens and monitors and 44 tons of small appliances. And to all this were added seven tons of small computer equipment and 542 kilos of light bulbs.

In the service balance for 2025, there are still almost 1 ton of batteries and 179 kg of printing supplies remaining.

The door-to-door service (distinguished by consumers, according to the entity) allows citizens of the municipalities in question to schedule a collection with Electrão or a participating city hall, and a team will then collect the appliance free of charge and send it for recycling.

Requesting the service

To request the service, it is necessary to have at least one bulky appliance for collection, and smaller equipment can be collected later, notes the entity.

The project, Electrão emphasises, is "a crucial tool to combat the accumulation of electrical equipment in homes and the diversion of appliances left on public roads to the parallel market."

Thus, it explains, the equipment is not diverted to the informal sector, "with negative impacts on public health and the environment," and instead is taken to official circuits, where it is recycled "with the best environmental practices."

Electrão – Associação de Gerenciamento de Resíduos is the entity responsible for three of the main waste collection and recycling systems: packaging, batteries, and used electrical equipment. It manages a network of collection points for used electrical equipment and batteries, with over 15,300 nationwide, and is also responsible for packaging recycling.