The celebration of Electrão’s 20th anniversary
2025 marked the celebration of Electrão’s 20th anniversary, highlighted by a series of initiatives, with special emphasis on the ceremony held at the Convento do Beato in Lisbon on September 26.
This was a moment of celebration and recognition, during which Electrão reflected on its past and acknowledged the contribution of everyone who helped build the association. The celebration brought together recycling and logistics partners, municipalities, producer companies and member organizations, as well as Electrão’s management, governing bodies, and other stakeholders.
Because art and cultural intervention play an important role in environmental awareness, Electrão, on the occasion of its anniversary, invited urban artist Godmess to bring color to a building façade on Rua de Santa Apolónia, in collaboration with the Urban Art Office of Lisbon City Council and the MURO Festival.
“Nothing is lost, everything is transformed” served as the motto for the creation of a mural — a tribute to circularity and sustainability — values that Electrão has upheld for 20 years.
In 2025, Electrão released a documentary on recycling
“Where Does Recycling Go?” is the title of the documentary presented by Electrão in 2025, the year it marked 20 years of activity. The production, which premiered on RTP 2 on September 28, remains available on RTP Play: https://www.rtp.pt/play/p15612/para-onde-vai-a-reciclagem
The film highlights the major challenges associated with recycling packaging, batteries, and used electrical equipment—three waste streams managed by Electrão, which in 2024 also began participating in the single-use plastics management system.
The documentary, produced by Electrão, was directed by Plural, with direction by Margarida Moura Guedes and collaboration from journalist Isabel Lindim. The production includes testimonies from various stakeholders in the value chain: operators, academics, environmentalists, authorities, and representatives of central government. Narration is provided by actress Inês Castel-Branco.
With this documentary, Electrão aims to contribute to a change in behavior and to reinforce the importance of everyone’s involvement in meeting the collection and recycling targets that the country is required to achieve. The documentary illustrates the journey of waste that is properly disposed of and reveals what is lost when this does not happen. It clearly highlights the impact of citizens’ choices, emphasizing the need for individual responsibility in protecting health and the environment.
The first year of a new licensing cycle
The year 2025 was marked by the launch of a new 10-year licensing cycle granted to Electrão for the management of three specific waste streams: electrical and electronic equipment; batteries and accumulators; and packaging.
Within the recycling system for electrical and electronic equipment, changes are expected, but only in the medium term, as this is a growing waste stream with an increasingly wide range of products.
As for the battery and accumulator recycling system, the changes introduced are significant and aligned with the guidelines of the Batteries Regulation, which established new subsystems. In addition to portable and industrial batteries, Electrão will also manage batteries from light means of transport and electric vehicles. The category of starter batteries has, for now, been excluded from the system.
The license for packaging management has been renewed, and a key new development is the extension of its scope to include non-urban packaging and that of large producers, as provided for in the packaging regulation.
Also in 2025, a highlight was the start of operations of ÚNICO – Association for the Management of Single-Use Plastics, focused on the end-of-life management of tobacco-related products, in which Electrão also participates.
Electrão close to meeting WEEE target despite operational constraints
In 2025, Electrão reached a historic milestone by collecting and sending more than 45,000 tonnes of used electrical equipment for recycling—the highest amount since the association was founded.
The target set for Electrão was 47,000 tonnes and was nearly achieved despite significant operational constraints throughout the year, namely the insufficient treatment capacity available among national operators and delays in the issuance of Transboundary Waste Movement authorizations.
Direct collection efforts once again played a decisive role, accounting for 84% of the total sent for recycling, and showing a growth trajectory that has nearly tripled since 2019. The expansion of the collection network was one of the key drivers of this growth. There are currently more than 15,000 locations where citizens can dispose of their end-of-life equipment, all listed at www.ondereciclar.pt.
Operational partners and the retail sector also made a decisive contribution to the overall results, along with campaigns developed by Electrão, such as Quartel Electrão, Escola Electrão, and the door-to-door collection of large household appliances, now available in 14 municipalities. The latter is one of the most visible initiatives in the fight against the parallel market, which continues to divert many electrical appliances from the formal system, preventing them from being recycled according to best practices and safeguarding public health and environmental protection.
The “Environmental Underachievers” campaign and delays in packaging recycling
The year 2025 was marked by the launch of the “Environmental Underachievers” campaign, which delivered a “reality check” and raised awareness about Portugal’s lag in packaging recycling. This multi-channel campaign—featured on television, radio, digital platforms, and outdoor advertising—brought a much-needed sense of urgency to encourage citizens to adopt everyday actions that make a difference. In the European context, Portugal ranks 21st in the recycling rate ranking, below the European Union average, according to Eurostat data.
In 2025, packaging recycling figures left no room for doubt and confirmed the worst-case scenario: Portugal failed to meet the 65% target set for 2025 and remains far from reaching the 70% target required by 2030.
Packaging recycling is progressing too slowly compared to what the country needs in order to meet European targets and ensure a real reduction in pressure on landfills, which are now close to reaching their capacity limits.
In 2025, the total amount of packaging sent for recycling by the national system reached 532,000 tonnes, an increase of just 3% compared to the 518,000 tonnes recovered in 2024. Electrão, within the system it manages, sent a total of 65,844 tonnes for recycling in 2025, representing an 11% increase compared to 2024, when 59,580 tonnes were processed.