Post by ISWA International Solid Waste Association

🔍 “Plastic pollution cannot be solved by infrastructure alone; effective systems require policy coherence, operational performance, economic incentives, product design improvements, and behavioural change.” - APESB As part of the ongoing discussion on plastic waste management, the International Solid Waste Association invited its national members to share insights from their respective countries, highlighting key challenges, solutions, and opportunities. 🇵🇹 ISWA’s National Member for Portugal provided the testimony below. Portugal has invested significantly in waste management infrastructure and policy frameworks over recent decades, yet plastic pollution remains a persistent challenge. The quality of separately collected materials remains a key issue, partly due to incorrect sorting practices, while growing packaging waste continues to place pressure on collection and recycling systems. Municipal waste generation in Portugal reached approximately 517 kg per capita annually. Plastic waste represents more than 10% of this waste stream, yet less than 40% is recycled. Plastic leakage into the environment remains a challenge, with plastics continuing to represent the dominant fraction of marine litter found along European coastlines, despite existing collection and treatment systems. To address these challenges, Portugal has implemented a comprehensive policy framework aligned with EU legislation, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, separate collection systems, and the transposition of the Single-Use Plastics Directive. A national Deposit Return System (DRS) for beverage packaging is expected to begin operation in 2026. Breaking the plastic pollution cycle in Portugal requires:  💠Encouraging behavioural change and citizen participation  💠Improving the quality and efficiency of separate collection systems  💠Strengthening eco-design and product circularity  💠Enhancing policy coherence across the plastics value chain  💠Leveraging digital tools to improve data quality and system performance 💡Portugal’s experience shows that infrastructure and regulation are essential foundations, but lasting progress depends on aligning policy, operations, economic incentives, product design, and citizen behaviour. Without behavioural and mind-set changes, plastic waste generation will continue to follow consumption patterns. #breakingtheplasticpollutioncycle #plasticpollution #wastemanagement #circulareconomy #INC52 #INC54