I really like the refuse system here. Compared to Bristol City Council it is amazing. Some areas have collections from home but we have recycling and communal bins just a few metres down the road. They are huge bins and you just take your rubbish down bagged up and place it in large green bins. There are separate recycling bins for plastics, metals, paper etc. The bins are never full and you are not limited to the amount you put in. For Bulky waste collections you need to email your local Junta de Freguesia with a description of your items. As our house was fully furnished we gained a few treasures and a heap load of crap and as we had no car at the time had no way of disposing of these items. Our collections are on a Monday or Friday and 2 men arrived and took the lot and carried it down a lot of steps. Some items were very heavy too. This service is free but the Junta told us it is good practice to tip the drivers. 

When my husband tried to tip them they rejected the tip but my husband was persistent and they thankfully accepted in the end. This service is fantastic as in Bristol we would have had to pay the council to collect the items and 1-3 is £25 and 4-6 items is £50. It used to be free if you were on benefits but not any more. Also I had a set of drawers once and I took drawers out so I could move it into the front garden for collection as this made it lighter. Because I did not put the 4 drawers back in they classed it as 5 items! They refused to take as I had only paid for up to 3 items. They explained that I needed to put the drawers back in then they would need to take them out again to be able to lift it onto the truck. I was at work so they refused to take it – none of this crazy business in Portugal they must of took over 10 items.