This summer, the Ponto Verde Academy returns to various beaches and pools across the country to teach the youngest to recycle packaging at the ecopoints, reinforcing the importance of this good practice at any time and anywhere. The educational initiative of Ponto Verde will be present until July 31, from Monday to Friday, in 30 locations from north to south of Portugal and in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, in what will be the largest edition to date, as announced in a statement.
According to the same source, games, stories and challenges dedicated to recycling packaging will mark another edition of the Ponto Verde Academy this beach season. Among the activities available is the giant board game “Recicla Mania” (Recycle Mania), where participants are invited to test their knowledge on this topic, and Story Time, which this year presents two new stories to raise awareness among youngsters about the importance of separating packaging waste. The 2026 edition also brings a novelty: the Scavenger Hunt, a team activity that challenges children to collect packaging along a route and to separate them correctly at their respective ecopoints.
Coastal and river beaches, as well as municipal pools, become privileged spaces for fun and learning during the summer. It is at these locations that the Ponto Verde Academy will promote more sustainable habits among children who enjoy holidays with family or participate in holiday camps organized by schools, municipalities and other entities.
For Ricardo Sacoto Lagoa, Director of Marketing, Awareness and Communication of Sociedade Ponto Verde, “children have a decisive role in building more sustainable habits and are agents of change within their families and communities. Therefore, it is essential to continue creating opportunities for them to learn more about packaging recycling in a practical, participatory and fun way, in contexts where they are already naturally present during the summer.”
“This year, given the receptivity of previous editions, we are staging the largest edition ever of the Ponto Verde Academy on beaches and in pools, with more locations, more days and more activities, and with the expectation of reaching more than five thousand children. We are also returning to the Azores and Madeira, for the second consecutive year, reinforcing our commitment to bring environmental literacy and awareness of packaging recycling to more and more children across the country. It is essential that everyone adopt this habit and, in a collective effort, contribute to the country meeting the environmental targets set for this year: to recover 65% of all packaging placed on the market,” he adds.
The Ponto Verde Academy is Ponto Verde’s educational project dedicated to environmental literacy and the promotion of packaging recycling at ecopoints among the youngest, throughout the year, providing children with a set of playful and learning activities. In the 2025/2026 school year, the project reached more than 37,500 students in schools across the country, surpassing the initial target of 21,000 participants.
This initiative, during the summer, has the institutional support of APA – Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, DRAAC – Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática da Região Autónoma dos Açores and DRAM – Direção Regional do Ambiente e Mar da Região Autónoma da Madeira.
List of beaches and pools (updating):
- June 22, Praia da Torre (Oeiras)
- June 23, Praia da Torre (Oeiras)
- June 24, Praia de Carcavelos (Cascais)
- June 25, Praia da Saúde (Almada)
- June 26, Praia da Mata (Almada)
- June 29, Praia de São João (Almada)
- June 30, Praia da Riviera (Almada)
- July 1, Praia do Castelo (Almada)
- July 2, Praia da Rainha (Almada)
- July 3, Praia do Infante (Almada)
- July 6, Praia da Cabana do Pescador (Almada)
- July 7, Praia da Sereia (Almada)
- July 8, Praia da Figueirinha and Play Academy Holiday Camp (Setúbal)
- July 9, Praia de São Martinho do Porto (Alcobaça)
- July 10, Aldeia Ana de Aviz River Beach (Figueiró dos Vinhos)
- July 13, Praia de Santa Rita (Torres Vedras)
- July 14, Albergaria dos Fusos River Beach (Évora)
- July 15, Beja Municipal Pool (Beja)
- July 16, Praia Verdelago (Faro)
- July 17, Alvor Sports Complex (Portimão)
- July 20, Ponte da Barca Municipal Pool Complex (Viana do Castelo)
- July 21, Praia da Apúlia (Braga)
- July 23, Lomba River Beach (Porto)
- July 27, Lido Seaside Complex (Funchal)
- July 28, Ponta da Gorda Seaside Complex (Funchal)
- July 30, Milícias Beach (Ponta Delgada)
- July 31, Pópulo Beach (Ponta Delgada)
