Three Roads to Circular Economy – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

The project aimed at impacting three key areas that contribute to moving towards a circular economy in Portugal – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – by strengthening material efficiency, exploring options for the improved management of specific waste streams, and assessing urban waste infrastructure capacities.

The overall objective of the action was to support the Portuguese Authorities in the development and implementation of reform policies, and in the definition, management, and implementation of processes and methodologies in the area of the circular economy.

For the scope of this project, the following priority areas were identified: Increase of material efficiency, separate collection and recycling (+ preparation for reuse) of municipal waste, and Waste treatment infrastructure assessment. The support measures were structured starting from the state-of-play analysis, to the strategy development towards change management and developing a communication strategy.

The project resulted in a deeper understanding of the state of play of the Portuguese material efficiency landscape to identify opportunities and barriers and set forth a draft strategy for improved material efficiency across multiple economic sectors.

Furthermore, the project addressed options for improved waste management of four selected waste streams – textiles, C&D, bulky waste (e.g., furniture & mattresses), and hazardous waste produced by households (HHW).

The project prepared strategies for improved management (less waste of resources) of the targeted waste streams, as well as a calculation tool enabling the assessment of existing waste infrastructure against forecasted development in waste amounts and recycling ambitions.

The project supported change management in the Portuguese industry and municipal waste management, based on recommendations from the project analyses. As part of this, the project carried out capacity building and thoroughly communicated with the public and private key stakeholders, ensuring proper inclusion of stakeholder considerations and dissemination of results.

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