Portugal has a growing dependence on fertilizers, having imported last year 700 thousand tonnes, which cost 335 million euros, but wastes annually 25 million euros in nutrients and organic matter.
The environmental association Zero issues the warning, citing 2024 data to say that about 1.8 million tonnes of organic waste were left unvalorized and more than 1 million tonnes of unsorted waste were sent directly to landfill, without pre-treatment and without complying with the Landfill Directive.
In a statement, the association warns that the conflict in the Middle East has highlighted Portugal’s dependence on fertilizers, and that these are at the highest prices since 2022.
It is estimated, the association says, that more than a third of the nitrogen-rich fertilizer urea passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Its production is highly energy-dependent, and the price reflects that. Since the beginning of the war, the price of urea has risen by about 80%.
Zero notes that the rise in fertilizer prices has already led the Government to grant extraordinary support to agricultural activity amounting to 20 million euros.
It also highlights that since 2005 fertilizer imports have increased by more than 40% in volume and more than 260% in value, while thousands of tonnes of nutrients and organic matter end up in landfill.
According to calculations by Zero, the recoverable macronutrients from biowaste — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — are worth about 22 million euros per year, totaling 25 million when adding the value of recoverable organic matter.
The effluents from intensive pig farming and cattle farming have the potential to meet about 50% of the nitrogen and phosphorus needs of agricultural and forestry crops.
To reverse the current situation, Zero advocates investing in the prevention of biowaste, promoting more responsible consumption habits.
And it proposes that progressive targets be imposed for door-to-door selective collection of organic waste, more demanding at the outset for large waste producers.
Zero also suggests, among other measures, that municipalities be allowed to recycle organic waste through small composting facilities, creating compost for community gardens and municipal agricultural lands.
Promoting community and domestic composting and promoting a system that encourages local farming, enabling the efficient use of nutrients from urban sources, are other proposals from the association.
