Disposal habits in Portugal

On Wednesday, 14 October, the Electrão association released findings from a study of consumer behaviour in 12 countries, timed for International Waste Electrical Day, which this year is dedicated to "fast tech", the term for cheap, short-lived gadgets such as chargers, cables, earphones and LED lights. The study was promoted by WEEE Forum, the international body of electrical waste management organisations of which Electrão is a member. In Portugal, 503 people took part, and 82.5% of them bought at least one such product between August 2025 and July 2026. Among those buyers, a third (33.6%) said they had stored devices they no longer use at home.

Disposal is where the figures become uncomfortable. Of Portuguese buyers, 17.8%, or one in six, said they had put small electrical devices into household waste or unsuitable containers. Street bins and the yellow ecoponto were named as wrong destinations by 29.8% of buyers, while 41.9% said they had handed items in at a municipal collection point or ecocentro. The categories overlap, because the study notes that the same person may store some devices, take others to recycling and discard different ones incorrectly.

Reported disposal routes for small electronics, Portugal (%)
Household waste or wrong container17.8Street bin or yellow ecoponto29.8Municipal collection point41.9

Behaviour across the 12 countries

Across all 12 countries, 38.6% of buyers said they had thrown away at least one of these devices without using it, after a single use, or before completing a month of use. When a device broke, 59.1% said they would choose the same model or another cheap one again. Even so, 80.3% said that for some purchases they would have paid more for alternatives that last longer. Those figures come from the study as a whole rather than from Portugal alone.

Consumer behaviour on fast tech across 12 countries (%)
Discarded at least one device unused38.6Would choose same or cheap model again after breakdown59.1Would pay more for longer-lasting alternatives in some purc…80.3

What Electrão is asking for

Electrão said it collected 45,000 tonnes of equipment last year, but its communication director, Ana Matos, acknowledged that many materials are not ending up where they should. Matos said the association also has to persuade people that keeping these devices at home is not the right way to manage them. In a statement, Ricardo Furtado, director-general of Electrical and Batteries at Electrão, urged people to extend the life of their devices, including through reuse, and to send them for recycling once they stop working.

Low-cost, short-life devices are still electrical equipment.

— Ricardo Furtado

The association stresses that even small devices must be recycled so their materials can be recovered and treated, which reduces the need to extract new raw materials. Proper treatment also removes and manages components containing hazardous substances to protect the environment and human health.

Calls to act locally

Matos told TSF that many people still get recycling wrong, with almost 30% admitting they put devices in street bins or yellow ecopoints. She also pointed to general waste as a common wrong destination. Since 17 September, Electrão has run an installation in Parque Mayer in Lisbon to encourage people to recycle electronic devices.

Who has never opened a drawer at home that holds electrical equipment they no longer use or that is broken, and that could go in the recycling point?

— Ana Matos