Seven in every 10 Portuguese households recycle at least some of their rubbish and over half separate all the waste they produce that can be recycled, according to a recent study by Portugal’s Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV).
“Never before have Portuguese families separated their waste so much,” the report reads, naming Lisbon as the place where recycling is most common.
In fact, data shows that there was a 12 percentage point (pp) increase in terms of households that separate all recyclable waste compared to 2011.
However, 29% of households admit that they never separate their rubbish.
“Out of reach” recycling bins was one of the main reasons for not separating waste (43% of households).
“A lack of space and adequate conditions at home” were also named as other factors that kept households from recycling.
A total of 3,529 households took part in the study conducted between December 5, 2013 and May 16, 2015 in 15 Portuguese districts.
