Portugal's plastic packaging collection falls 3.8% in nine months to September

Portuguese packaging-waste scheme Novo Verde reported that selective collection of plastic packaging fell 3.8% year on year to 63,477 tonnes in the first nine months of 2026, one of three materials to decline alongside steel and aluminium. Total selective packaging collection across all materials rose 1.1% to 373,182 tonnes, led by growth in paper/board, but the scheme's director-general said this pace remains short of what is needed to meet national recycling targets.

Why this mattersA decline in plastic packaging collection widens the gap to national recycling targets, raising compliance pressure on producers under Portugal's EPR scheme.

• Selective collection of plastic packaging in Portugal fell 3.8% year on year to 63,477 tonnes in January-September 2026.
• Overall selective packaging collection across all materials rose 1.1% to 373,182 tonnes in the same period.
• Steel packaging collection fell 6% to 5,398 tonnes and aluminium fell 4.6% to 1,630 tonnes.
• Glass remained the largest collected material at 166,157 tonnes, up 0.7%, representing about 45% of the total.
• Paper/board collection rose 4.4% to 127,919 tonnes, the biggest volume contributor to growth.
• Novo Verde director-general Pedro Simões said the 1.1% overall growth is insufficient to meet national recycling targets.

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