The Council of Ministers approved the TERRA+ Strategy 2026–2030, which foresees a global investment of approximately 2.3 billion euros in the waste sector in Portugal, of which approximately 1.6 billion correspond to public investment. The strategy seeks to change the destination given to municipal waste, prioritizing recycling, reuse and different forms of recovery over landfilling, including biomethane production.
The Alentejo is covered by the strategy through five waste management systems operating in the region: AMBILITAL, AMCAL, GESAMB, RESIALENTEJO and VALNOR, covering dozens of municipalities in the districts of Beja, Évora and Portalegre and the Alentejo Litoral. So far, a territorial distribution of the investment has not been published that allows determining how much will be applied specifically in the Alentejo.
The need for this strategy is evidenced by national data: in 2024, 54% of municipal waste produced in Portugal continued to be deposited in landfill, well above the target set for 2035, when this proportion should be reduced to 10%. The priority defined by the Government is to reduce the waste reaching landfills through strengthening recycling, reuse and recovery, without relying on the construction of new landfill infrastructure.
The implementation of TERRA+ and the subsequent definition of investments will make it possible to identify which projects will be carried out in the territories served by the five Alentejo systems and what the respective impact will be on the capacity for waste treatment and recovery in the region.
