We know we can impose taxes on other kinds of plastic apart from just plastic bags but we feel that society, meaning consumers, producers and packagers, are becoming more aware of this problem, João Pedro Matos Fernandes said.

The minister was speaking at the end of a conference in Lisbon on “Rethinking Plastics in the transition to a Circular Economy” as part of the World Environment Day on Tuesday.

Even though he was convinced that Portugal would meet the goals set for recycling, João Pedro Matos Fernandes acknowledged that there may be deposits on plastic bottles.

There is one very specific problem with recycling, he said, in that a simple water bottle, for instance, contained three different kinds of plastic in the bottle, the cap and the label. If it was all made of the same plastic, recycling would be easier, he added.