José Gomes Ferreira criticised the Volta system on the SIC Notícias programme "As Contas". He argued that people who drop their containers in recycling bins lose the 10-cent deposit paid at purchase, whereas those who return them to a Volta machine get it back.
His objection is that the scheme does not distinguish between people recycling through usual channels and those using the deposit-and-refund circuit, since both pay the deposit but only the latter recover it. The managing body, SDR Portugal, says it uses no public money and that unclaimed deposits are neither profit nor state revenue.
The dispute centres on whether unclaimed amounts amount to a disguised tax. Carlos Moedas has used that expression. SDR replies that the sums stay on its balance sheet for three years and can be reinvested if collection targets are met; otherwise they go to the Environmental Fund and the Consumer Rights Promotion Fund.
