Analysing the evolution of hazardous waste production in Portugal, 2008 was the year in which there was a lower production of hazardous waste in Portugal, about 556 thousand tons, contrasting with the year 2018 when it reached a peak, with approximately 1.1 million tonnes of hazardous waste being produced, which corresponds to the double of the amount produced in 2008. According to the data presented, between 2009 and 2014, the national production of hazardous wastes remained more or less constant, with the maximum variation being 10%. From that year onwards, there is some irregularity in the production pattern, and in 2019, there was a decrease of 4% compared to 2018.
Hazardous waste
The "Hazardous waste" fact sheet measures the amount of hazardous waste produced and collected in mainland Portugal, as well as the proportion to be sent to a recovery operation or to a disposal operation. This fact sheet also measures the relative quantity of hazardous waste sent to the different recovery and disposal operations.
Description:
Hazardous waste (HW) is all the waste that presents at least one of the hazard characteristics listed in EU Regulations 1357/2014 and 2017/997, namely, explosiveness, oxidising properties, flammability, ecotoxicity, mutagenicity, toxicity, among others.
The production of hazardous waste occurs mainly in the industrial sector, but also in the health sector, in agriculture, in retail, in services and even in the household sector. The hazardousness associated with these wastes, for both human health and the environment, requires more careful attention to their management in order to avoid/reduce the occurrence of harmful effects.
On a preventive basis, it is important to limit the production of waste, reducing the operations necessary for its management, which themselves originate environmental impacts, both in terms of collection and transport, and in the treatment itself.
According to the waste hierarchy, disposal operations should be avoided whenever the alternatives are economically and environmentally viable. Disposal operations should be considered end-of-the-line operations, as they do not promote circular economy, and generally entail greater environmental impacts. Given the current waste production and management patterns in Portugal, the waste policy should consider reducing the amount of disposed waste as a goal to be achieved.
This fact sheet concerns mainland Portugal and shall be updated on an annual basis.
Objectives and targets:
- Prevent the production of waste, hazardous waste in particular, which implies reducing it at the source, thus reducing the quantity to be subjected to treatment;
- Reduce the hazardousness of waste;
- Reduce the amount of disposed waste.
Progress analysis:
Production of hazardous waste in Portugal
Notas: The numbers presented for the years 2008 to 2016 are different than those presented from 2017 onwards, as a result of a change in the data production methodology by Statistics Portugal (INE), which determined the revision of the whole series being considered.
Source: INE, 2021
Production of hazardous waste per activity sector
Source: INE, 2021
With regard to the distribution of HW production by economic activity, for the time period under consideration, most of the HW produced in Portugal originated in trade and services (which includes waste produced by health units, with great weight in this result), in waste treatment activities and in the base metal and metal products industry. Worthy of note is the collection, treatment and waste disposal sector which, since 2012, is the most expressive sector in the total HW produced in mainland Portugal, representing in 2015 about 49% of the national HW production.
The base metal and metal products industry also made a significant contribution to the production of HW in Portugal in the years under analysis, corresponding, on average, to around 8.6% of the total HW produced annually in Portugal.
Regarding the Construction sector, there was a reduction of around 67% in the production of hazardous waste between 2009 and 2012. Since then, the weight of this sector in the production of hazardous waste in Portugal does not present a great variability, maintaining an average of 3% of national production. It is believed that the variations recorded may be related to fluctuations in the activity of this economic sector.
Rate of recovery/disposal of HW produced in Portugal
Source: INE, 2021
The recovery/disposal ratio of Hazardous Waste produced in Portugal suffered oscillations throughout the 2008-2019 series, with significant weight of disposal operations in the total waste treated. Recovery had a greater weight in 2008, corresponding to 54% of the total waste treated in that year. However, since then there has been a gradual decrease in its weight in relation to disposal, with the total of treated waste stable at about 40% since 2016.
In relation to the different disposal operations to which the HW produced in Portugal were subjected in 2019, the main ones were landfill disposal and physical-chemical and biological treatments, which corresponded to 45% and 40% of the waste subjected to a disposal operation, respectively.
In terms of HW recovery in the same year, recycling of metal and metal compounds (35%), refining and other reuses of oils (14%) and energy recovery (9%) stood out. Also worthy of note are the intermediate storage operations, corresponding to 36% of the total waste sent for recovery.
Last update:
Monday, 23 August, 2021
More information at:
Portuguese Environment Agency – https://apambiente.pt/residuos/residuos-perigosos