Hundreds of crushed bottles collected through Portugal’s Volta deposit-return scheme were found dumped in a wooded area in Odivelas, prompting an investigation into the waste's origin and possible fraud.
As reported by SIC Verifica, the discovery gained public attention after Ricardo Fonseca posted a video to Facebook showing dozens of bags containing compressed bottles abandoned near a road, which attracted more than 1.4 million views in recent weeks.
These containers had already passed through the scheme’s automated machines, suggesting consumers returned them for recycling and that they should have been transported to counting and sorting centres for processing.
Waste recovery
SDR Portugal, the organisation responsible for managing Volta, described the incident as “absolutely unacceptable” and confirmed it sent a team to the site to collect all the bags and containers.
The organisation has since launched an investigation to establish where the material came from and whether fraud may have been involved, examining ways to reinforce tracking procedures, from removing containers from collection machines to delivering them to processing centres.
“Containers deposited through the Volta system must be sent in their entirety to counting and sorting centres”, the SDR Portugal said.
Ricardo Fonseca told SIC Verifica that he discovered the bags while travelling for work and reported the situation to the Camarate police station before publishing the video online.
According to his account, officers explained that a complaint would likely be shelved without evidence such as the identity of a suspect, vehicle registration details or footage of the waste being dumped.
He said he had never visited the location before and could not establish whether the bags had been left there all at once or over several days. However, he believes they may have been unloaded from a vehicle stopped beside the road.
Tracking measures
Odivelas City Council confirmed it was aware of the case and a company responsible for collecting this type of material removed the waste on Monday, 28 September.
However, no proceedings were brought against those responsible because the council could not identify the offender or establish where the waste originated.
The council has contacted SDR Portugal to discuss whether existing procedures could help trace the containers and identify those responsible for transporting and dumping them.
Furthermore, the municipality is considering proposing additional tracking measures, including seals or identification systems for collection bags, which could help authorities follow the waste’s journey and establish accountability in similar cases.
It also wants clarification on whether operators managing Volta collection points must request documentation accompanying waste shipments, which could provide another layer of control.
The Union of Parishes of Pontinha and Famões, including the Bairro da Serra da Luz area, told SIC Verifica that it had received no complaints about the dumping before the video circulated online.
In addition, the parish authority stated that it regularly monitors waste disposal across its area and reports incidents to the relevant bodies, including Odivelas City Council and the Loures and Odivelas Intermunicipal Water and Waste Services (SIMAR).
Illegal dumping fines
Under national law, abandoning waste in woodland is classified as a very serious environmental offence.
The General Waste Management Framework expressly prohibits abandoning and illegally disposing of waste, while the Environmental Offences Framework sets penalties based on the offender’s status and whether the offence was committed through negligence or deliberately.
For individuals, fines range from €20,000 to €30,000 for negligence and from €30,000 to €37,500 for deliberate offences.
For companies, penalties are considerably higher, ranging from €60,000 to €70,000 for negligence and from €500,000 to €2.5 million when the offence is committed intentionally.
Despite removing the containers, responsibility for the dumping in Odivelas remains unresolved.
SDR Portugal’s investigation is expected to help establish how the bottles left the collection system and ended up abandoned in the countryside.