The 1.6 million inhabitants of the 19 municipalities between Lisbon and Alcobaça threw 21,646 tonnes of waste away between December 23 and 31, according to data provided to Lusa by Valorsul.

The company's technical director, Filipa Pantaleão, explains that "this is an atypical week", as well as the entire month of December and January, when garbage collection increases substantially.

However, compared to the same period of the previous year, there is an increase of 1,045 tonnes collected in Alcobaça, Alenquer, Amadora, Arruda dos Vinhos, Azambuja, Bombarral, Cadaval, Caldas da Rainha, Lisbon, Loures, Lourinhã, Nazaré, Óbidos , Odivelas, Peniche, Rio Maior, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Torres Vedras, Vila Franca de Xira.

On average, each inhabitant of these areas was responsible for 13.5 kilos of garbage in the last week of the year, ignoring European recommendations and warnings from environmental associations about the need to reduce the production of waste.

The “neighbours” of Cascais, Oeiras, Sintra and Mafra were less polluting, according to the company that handles waste in these four municipalities.

In the last week of the year, Tratolixo received 7,212 tonness from its 860,000 inhabitants, which is an average of eight kilograms of garbage per resident.

In the north, the numbers point to ten kilos of garbage per person in the week between Christmas and the end of the year, according to an average calculated for the waste that arrived at Lipor's facilities.

The approximately one million residents of Porto, Espinho, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Povoa do Varzim, Valongo and Vila do Conde threw away 10,095 tons between the 25th and 31st of December, according to data provided to Lusa by Lipor.

Comparing with the previous year, from north to south of the country there was an increase in garbage: Valorsul received 1,045 more tons than in 2021, Tratolixo more 331 tons and Lipor more 242 tons.

The vast majority continues to be undifferentiated urban waste. For example, at Valorsul, of the 21 thousand tons collected in a week, more than 18 thousand were undifferentiated waste.