Tratolixo, the intermunicipal company responsible for the treatment and valorization of urban waste in the municipalities of Cascais, Mafra, Oeiras and Sintra (AMTRES system), recorded a 1.13% increase in the total waste collected in the first six months of this year, equivalent to an additional 2,846 tonnes compared with the same period of the previous year.
The selective collection of biowaste was one of the main contributors to this evolution, reaching 42,782 tonnes, up 6.5% from the first half of 2025. For this growth contributed the increase in the collection of green waste (+11.66%) and the greater uptake of the green bag, which allowed collecting more than 45% compared with the same period. This growth takes on particular relevance in a context where biowaste constitutes the largest fraction of urban waste produced in Portugal and is identified by the RARU 2025 as one of the main vectors for increasing recycling rates and for reducing waste disposal in landfills.
Also the multimaterial selective collection, which includes plastic, metal, ECAL (Carton Packaging for Liquid Foods), glass and paper/cardboard, registered a positive development, with a growth of 3.14% and more than 23,400 tonnes collected.
Green bag already reaches more than 55% of the population
Provided free of charge in the four municipalities covered by the company, the green bag, intended for the selective collection of food waste that can be transformed into renewable electricity and organic compost for agriculture and gardening, shows an adoption rate above 55% of the population. The evolution of this project follows national guidelines for strengthening the selective collection of food waste, considered decisive for meeting the European recycling and circular economy targets foreseen for the next decade.
According to the latest sector data, Tratolixo is among the national systems with the best performance in selective collection and in preparation for reuse and recycling, results that reinforce the importance of continuing to invest in citizen participation and in dedicated biowaste collection.
