Vamos lixar o lixo?

by Theobald Tiger

At the beginning of the last century, a clever European philosopher from Denmark left us with the following quote: “Life can often only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards…”

Lisbon. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) overslept at the start of the new year with the theme of its 2026 information campaign, “Vamos lixar o lixo” (Let’s clean up the rubbish). It was not until 12 January 2026 that it woke up amid the New Year’s rubbish of history and quickly sent ECO123 the following press release: “At the beginning of 2026, the APA (Agencia Portuguesa do Ambiente) proposes as a New Year’s resolution that society become aware of a monumental problem and contribute to its solution: Every year, three million tons of waste are stored in landfills…”

Oh, right. Oh, yes. There was something else. The rubbish. Didn’t we at ECO123 publish several short stories of success on the topic of ‘zero waste’ (DESPERDICIO ZERO) in several editions last year, much to the annoyance of many local politicians? Was that not enough? The issue still keeps us awake at night. And so we must conclude that the goal of the campaign is not to separate rubbish, but that avoiding rubbish is the only real solution…

We named one supermarket the most environmentally friendly in the Algarve. A supermarket that sells drinks in returnable bottles and takes back the empty bottles in exchange for a deposit. Not a huge achievement, but still… Only one supermarket in the entire Algarve does this: APOLONIA in Almancil, in Galé and in Lagoa. And the others? LIDL? No. Continente? No. Pingo Doce? No. The list goes on. Do we want to be innovative, or just continue to sleep through the day? Hello, dear reader! Hello, dear bureaucrats, who have slept through the New Year on our tax money…

Instead of passing a bill that would legally require retailers to sell food, clothing, beverages, etc. in reusable packaging and introducing a deposit system in Portugal to reduce the amount of waste in its entirety, the APA proposes separating waste. Yes, good morning, ladies and gentlemen bureaucrats, there was something else to mention if you have nothing else to say… Waste separation, we’ve been doing that for years and nothing has changed. What century are you living in? Rather sleepily, the APA proposes the slogan for its multimedia campaign for the new year: “Vamos separar o lixo antes que o futuro se lixe” (Let’s separate our rubbish before the future goes to waste), which will be seen on television, radio, billboards, digital channels and other online and offline media, among other places. Great. ECO123 congratulates you! What a great campaign the APA is pushing again…

In the television campaign, a tour guide from Lisbon driving a tuk-tuk presents some of the capital’s sights: the National Palace of Ajuda, the Jerónimos Monastery and an unexpected monument… three million tons of rubbish that are stored in landfills in Portugal every year. How awful…

We nominate the APA for the 2026/27 Waste Innovation Award within the European Union. The “monument” made of rubbish that illustrates the campaign is, in fact, more of a warning to the APA to take a radical look at the waste produced in our households, which is causing Portuguese landfills due to a lack of waste separation. Really? Did you sleep well? Waste prevention! It’s the only solution.

Every year, around three million tons of waste are stored in these landfills – more than 50% of the waste we (society!) produce. The solution is within everyone’s reach and consists of properly separating (not avoiding) the waste produced in our households (glass, plastic and metal packaging, paper and cardboard, and organic waste) with the aim of subsequently recycling it. Do we still believe in Father Christmas? Do you really think this is the way to solve the waste problem?

During the winter sales period, the awareness campaign will be seen at the Colombo shopping centre in Lisbon and NorteShopping in Matosinhos, beginning with an attempt to clarify what organic waste is (= food scraps and green waste from gardens) and highlighting the importance of proper waste separation at home and recycling for a sustainable future for the country. Believe it if you will. Wasting taxpayers’ money on virtually useless marketing campaigns… (Editor’s note)

The campaign concept was developed by the creative agency NOSSA with the aim of raising awareness among those ‘left behind’ and still ignorant of the urgent need to tackle excessive waste production in Portugal. This presumably does not refer to Portuguese citizens living abroad. The agency NOVA EXPRESSÃO is responsible for spreading the message through various channels, with a strategy designed to reach millions of Portuguese citizens in Portugal.

The ‘Vamos lixar o lixo’ campaign will run until the end of 2026, and the information will be constantly updated on the campaign website: https://vamoslixarolixo.pt/.

In summary: “Life can often only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” What did the eminent European philosopher want to tell us citizens with this?

Answers to editor@eco123.info