Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal, Aug. 10, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's minister for the environment and energy argued on Monday that waste-to-energy is the most appropriate solution to the problem of waste management in the Algarve, although she is open to dialogue with environmentalists and to assessing alternatives.
"From what I understand, in my professional life I have been an engineer specialising in this very field; in this case – unlike the Alentejo, where an incinerator was not justified at all – but in this instance, given the volume of waste produced in the Algarve, where 85% of urban waste is currently being sent to landfill, it seems to us to be the most appropriate solution to resolve this problem», emphasised Maria da Graça Carvalho.
This morning, the environmental organisation Zero stated that the construction of an incinerator in the Algarve constitutes a decision that is «detrimental» to the public interest, advocating prevention, reuse and recycling as priorities.
«The construction of a new incinerator is a bad decision for many reasons, including the diversion of vital financial resources away from a sector that requires significant investment to genuinely promote the circular economy,» the organisation said in a statement.
This stance came after the minister for the environment announced on Saturday in Faro that the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is to proceed with a project to install a waste-to-energy plant in the region.
When questioned early this afternoon in Montemor-o-Velho about environmental organisations' opposition to the possible installation of a waste-to-energy plant in the Algarve, the minister stated that she «always prioritises dialogue» and assured that she would meet with representatives from the sector.
«I always prioritise dialogue and will certainly listen to the environmentalists,» she said, adding that the first planned step is the launch, by 15 October, of a tender organised by the APA for studies into solutions and site selection.
The minister referred to the need to find a solution within the Algarve region itself to tackle the high levels of waste production recorded there, where each inhabitant produces, on average, 2.4 kilograms of waste per day, compared with a mainland average of 1.4 kilograms.
«That's almost double,» she emphasised, also pointing to studies indicating that permanent residents of the Algarve produce around 1.7 kilograms of waste per day – a figure closer to the national average – whilst each tourist generates approximately 3.6 kilograms per night's stay.
«We know that much of this difference is linked to tourism,» she said, adding that tourism is an important source of wealth for the region, but also requires appropriate environmental solutions.
«We want tourism to be clean, green and waste-free,» she argued.
She also assured journalists that the Government, the APA and the National Waste Authority would continue to work with the 16 municipalities of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) to find the best solution for the region.
«The 16 mayors of AMAL want to resolve this issue in the best possible way, and both the APA and the Government are here to help them find the best solution,» she concluded.
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