The environmental organization ZERO has announced that the public consultation concluded on November 27, concerning a project that involves depositing more than one million tons of urban waste at the Raposa landfill in Almeirim over the coming years. Much of this waste is untreated organic matter, which is “expressly prohibited” by Decree-Law No. 24/2024, mandating pre-treatment before landfill deposition.
This project “fails to ensure appropriate waste selection or treatment of organic waste, thus being entirely illegal under the current legislation,” the association stated. ZERO warns of risks such as odor emissions, disease proliferation, pollutant leachates, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Data from the Portuguese Environment Agency, as cited by ZERO, indicate that in 2024, Ecolezíria directed more than 85% of the collected waste from the municipalities of Almeirim, Alpiarça, Benavente, Cartaxo, Coruche, and Salvaterra de Magos—approximately 57,000 tons— to the Raposa landfill without any treatment, making the system “one of the worst in the country.”
In a statement obtained by the Lusa news agency, the association advocates for a profound shift in regional waste management, proposing door-to-door selective collection, implementing the PAYT (Pay as You Throw) tariff, mandated for the non-domestic sector since January 2025, and establishing a mechanical and biological treatment facility to ensure comprehensive treatment of undifferentiated waste.
“These collection and treatment solutions will divert about 70% of the waste from the landfill and prevent issues arising from the disposal of organic waste at the landfill,” the association writes.
The Raposa landfill has already sparked a public petition launched by a group of citizens from the Almeirim municipality in Santarém district, calling for its closure due to “environmental risks, lack of oversight, and transparency.”
The petition, which has gathered over 600 signatures, followed a fire on April 23 at the landfill site near National Road 114, highlighting “years of public complaints about strong odors, declining quality of life, and lack of concrete responses from the managing company.”
In September, Filipe Casimiro, a spokesperson for the citizens’ movement, told Lusa that “there are no responses, dates, or strategic planning” regarding the landfill’s future, adding that the community feels “neglected and without clear information about the landfill’s operations.”
At that time, when questioned about the operational license, Ecolezíria informed Lusa that the planned permanent closure of the Raposa sanitary landfill was expected “in the coming months,” depending on waste production in the participating municipalities.
The company also indicated it was awaiting technical conclusions, “to be released after the municipal elections, to support decisions of the future Board of Directors.”
Ecolezíria is an intermunicipal company responsible for the management, treatment, and valorization of urban waste in the municipalities of Almeirim, Alpiarça, Benavente, Cartaxo, Coruche, and Salvaterra de Magos, serving a population of over 120,000 residents.
Its operations include managing the Raposa sanitary landfill, as well as other waste transfer and sorting infrastructures.
