The APA stated that this reflected an “increase of around 2.5 percent in the total and 3 percent in the amount collected on 2013 and inverting a downwards trend in effect since 2010.”
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley region and the North continue to produce the most rubbish, 37 percent and 33 percent of the total respectively, in keeping with their high percentage of the national population.
However, at the per inhabitant level, citizens in the Algarve and the Alentejo churn out the most garbage with the former generating 764 kilos per year per person, up 20 kilos on 2013, while people in the Alentejo went through 562 kilos of waste, throwing out 18 kilos more than in the previous year.
Out of the urban waste total, only 13.6 percent derives from selective collection, up from 13 percent a year earlier and representing 62 kilos per person.
In this field, the Algarve performance far outstrips the rest of the country with selective collection accounting for 23.3 percent of total waste produced.
Nevertheless, Portugal does still turn in a much enhanced performance in terms of rubbish going into landfill, down 42 percent in 2014 when compared with 2010 and down 1.4 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the amount of rubbish subject to mechanical and biological treatment doubled over the aforementioned period to reach 19 percent of the total amount, the same as that dispatched to generate electricity.