Carlos Moedas calls for the end of Volta in Portugal

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has urged the Government to abolish Portugal’s Volta deposit return scheme immediately, arguing that the system has caused serious problems with waste collection and urban cleanliness.

Speaking at Lisbon’s Municipal Assembly on Tuesday, 15 September, the PSD mayor said the scheme was well-intentioned but had produced what he called an “unprecedented social drama” in the capital.

“An environmental policy should not be a tax, nor should it be a social drama”, Moedas stated, while acknowledging the importance of increasing recycling and reuse.

These comments come after several months of complaints about people searching through rubbish bins for bottles and cans carrying the Volta symbol, which can be returned in exchange for the 10-cent deposit paid when the packaging is purchased.

Negative impacts

The system has operated since 10 April and covers single-use plastic, metal, and aluminium beverage containers of up to three litres.

Consumers can reclaim the deposit by returning eligible packaging to designated collection points across mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

According to Moedas, the scheme has negatively affected urban hygiene in Lisbon, with bins reportedly being searched and, in some cases, waste being removed and left on the streets as people look for refundable containers.

As reported by CNN Portugal, Moedas also referred to France, saying the Government should follow the example of cancelling the system. “It is a good intention. It is a bad result”, he added. “We do not want it.”

The mayor made the remarks as he presented the municipal executive’s work between June and August, thanking Lisbon City Council workers and staff from the capital’s 24 parish councils for dealing with more than 100 events over the summer, including the Lisbon Festivities, Book Fair, FIFA World Cup, Rock in Rio, Volta a Portugal and Kalorama.

Furthermore, around 2,600 bins were placed across the city during the period as part of efforts to maintain cleanliness during the busy summer programme.

Waste management

Sofia Lisboa, PCP municipal assembly member, welcomed Moedas’ call for the Volta scheme to be abolished but said his position did not resolve wider concerns over waste management.

She criticised what she described as the Government’s “subordination to private interests” and questioned who ultimately pays for the deposit system, while emphasising the growing practice of searching through rubbish for eligible containers.

Lisboa also claimed that recent figures showed the capital had the highest number of complaints about urban waste among municipalities, citing overflowing bins, accumulated rubbish, unpleasant smells, and an increase in rats and cockroaches as public health and quality-of-life concerns.

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I thought that was the reason for the volta, so that people that could help clean up the bottle mess that others throw away. A little money into their pocket and those that still litter and don't care about the 10 cents be dammed by those who search for money for their dinner or a drink to get through another night. And they are helping to clean up the neighborhood and help recycle. Just dont crush your bottles....They are only redeamable in in tact.

By ROBERT BARSONY from UK on 16 Sep 2026, 23:30

I've recently been to Norway and Sweden and you see many medium class citizens searching rubbish for cans and plastic recipients so why is that in Portugal and France this is a social drama? Bless the ones trying to make some well deserved money from even other robbery at the supermarkets.

By Diogo F. from Madeira on 17 Sep 2026, 02:27

People are so resistant to change! I think the 10 cent deposit is too low if people are still throwing their empty bottles into rubbish bins instead of returning them to a Volta machine. Perhaps the deposit amount should be raised to 25 cents. Once people start behaving responsibly, there will no longer be any desire to search bins and leave trash on the pavement. It's a pathetic, straw-clutching reason for wanting the deposit scheme to end.
One correction for Mr. Moedas - France never cancelled its deposit scheme, it was never introduced in the first place, though France did look into introducing it.
The question everyone should be asking is why it took Portugal decades to introduce such a scheme, so long after the pioneer Scandinavian countries.
If we didn't have such a scheme, litter louts would be throwing empty bottles from their cars and littering public spaces with them. We need people to behave responsibly, and the only way to ensure this is to impact their pockets.

By Billy Bissett from Porto on 17 Sep 2026, 11:22

Finally a sensible politician. Make this guy President!

By Oliver from Porto on 17 Sep 2026, 11:42

Yup. It is a problem in many places. People searching for Volta items simply empty a rubbish bin into the street, search for what helps them and leave. It might have been well intended, but ...

By Tom from Lisbon on 17 Sep 2026, 20:02