However, the association regrets that glass has been left out and calls for more reuse.

“For Zero, this is an important step. We have been advocating for this system for many years, since its debate in the Assembly of the Republic in 2018, when it was supposed to come into operation in 2022, and since then we have always tried to fight for its implementation,” says the leader Susana Fonseca in a podcast from the Lusa agency that will be available from 8 am on 10 April.

Successful system

The system already exists, successfully, in some countries and has been praised by environmental organisations. Susana Fonseca, vice-president of Zero, points precisely to the evidence already given to say that there is no reason for it to be different in Portugal.

Habituation Phase

It's true, she says, that there will be a confusing first phase, but she adds that the system is easy to learn, identical to existing deposit models (at festivals, for example), and guarantees that, for the universe it is intended for, "it has a very large collection capacity."

Applied only to disposable products

But not everything is good. Susana Fonseca laments that the SDR applies only to disposable products and not to reuse, and laments even more that it does not include glass, even though the law stipulated it.

"That is one of the system's major flaws. Zero and other environmental organisations in Portugal fought hard to keep glass, which was what was in the 2018 law," she says.

"And glass is one of the materials that makes the most sense for us to collect," she emphasises, recalling that Portugal does not meet the glass recycling target, a 100% recyclable and durable material whose raw material the country imports.

All the reasons to include glass

“We had every reason to include glass in the system. Unfortunately, there was a political decision not to follow what had been approved. The Government decided to change the law of the Assembly of the Republic, and this decision harmed the country,” she emphasises.

With glass in the SDR, Portugal would meet the recycling targets for this material, as beverage packaging is mostly made of glass (e.g., beer bottles). But as it stands, she laments, Portugal will not meet the targets.

But the SDR, she adds in the podcast, had another “missed opportunity.” A system focused on disposables was set up in the reuse area “when we have targets to meet.” “Now we have to create a system to meet these targets, and that is a mistake.”

Susana Fonseca points to Portugal's dependence on raw materials, says that economic resilience is not put into practice in Portugal, and laments the lack of investment in reuse, which creates local jobs and keeps products in the economy longer. And he adds: the Government, which is supposed to make decisions for the good of the country, has already abandoned glass, a strategic error, and has not integrated recycling.

He notes that the SDR “is highly effective” for the universe it is intended for, plastic and metal beverage containers of up to three litres, which will no longer appear in public spaces and contaminate the environment.

Collection rates

In these cases, he assures, Portugal will meet the 90% collection rate, even though those containers represent a small portion of the total universe. The others, placed in recycling bins and unsorted waste, will also need solutions.

For now, regarding the SDR, Susana Fonseca is optimistic. He says that these systems normally have a very high adoption rate. “They convey the notion that the packaging has value. Because I already paid for it. And if I don't hand it over (we have some doubts about whether 10 cents is a sufficient incentive), if I abandon it, there's always someone who values ​​it.”