The Minister of the Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, stated that the closure of the landfill of Recivalongo in Valongo will only be effective if the company does not make the necessary corrections within 60 working days, according to a statement from the Free Party.
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04/11/2026
by
Lusa
A minister of the Environment does not give as certain the closure on December 1 of the landfill of Recivalongo, making it depend on the corrections to be made by the company within 60 working days, today revealed the Free.
In question is the continuation of the operation of the landfill in Sobrado, Valongo, with the minister, in response to the question sent by the party on 23 October, explaining the procedures for the equipment to continue in that district of Porto.
In the answer dated 26 October, and today made public by the party, Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho explains that Retivalongo landfill “is operated under the license integrated into the Single Environmental Title (TUA) and that, despite TUA indicating the date of 1 December 2026, it does not determine the automatic closure of the installation”.
It explains to the governor that the current General Waste Management Regime (RGGR) subject the treatment facilities to a comprehensive review of the operating conditions every seven years, through a survey promoted by the licensing body, in this case the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), as a national waste authority.
In this sense, the APA carried out the review survey on October 6, 2026, in which the relevant waste, water resources and integrated pollution prevention and control services took part, as well as the Valongo City Council, continues the response.
According to the minister, the “auto resulting from the survey set objective conditions to which Recivalongo will have to follow up and a maximum period of 60 working days, elapsed from the respective communication of the auto that was delivered on 26 October 2026, to submit the requested elements and corrections”.
The Minister points out that “until that decision, the operation shall not cease by effect of the date indicated in the title and shall remain subject to compliance with the conditions of the licence and the supervision of the competent authorities”.
In this case, it is for the APA to assess the facts and to apply the grounds for maintenance, rejection, suspension, revocation or termination provided for in the RGGR and the Legal Regime for Land Waste Deposition, he added.
“The final decision and its grounds will be disclosed after the completion of the ongoing procedure”, the press release ends.
The minister also commented on the doubts raised by the party as a result of the fire that took place on 26 June at the landfill, revealing that the visit of the APA “confirmed that it happened in a restricted area and away from the background waterproofing system, without damage to environmental protection structures or evidence of contamination of soil or groundwater attributable to the accident”.
In the same note, the governor reveals that the City Council and the Main Day association were informed of the results.
The landfill in Sobrado has been contested since 2019 by the population and the City Hall, who accuse the management of the landfill company of “environmental crime”, causing “a nauseous smell” in the air and, through the “slip of the leachate pollute the water and land of the parish” of the municipality of Valongo.