I Need to Open a Junkyard

Do the Portuguese hate old?

Ferro-Velho…jardim do lixo…sucata…estaleiro de salvamento…estaleiro de recuperação

I have Googled each of these words/phrases (followed by the name of a city in Portugal) a dozen times in the last few weeks. They are the closest translations I can find to what we in the States would call a junkyard. But so far, I have come up short. Yes, you can find an endless array of antique shops and flea markets with furniture and decorative items (decanters, wine glasses, chandeliers, artwork, and the like). But a used farmhouse sink…a clawfoot tub…a weathered old barn door. Nope!

We wish we could find this in Portugal. Can you help us out?

Ask a Friend

We were at our bank this week picking up our new Abanca credit card. (Yes, it pays to be persistent.) While there I asked the receptionist, who is a flea market fanatic if she knew of any junkyards in Portugal. She typed the unfamiliar word into a translator and gave me a quizzical look. I went on to explain that we were looking for items like sinks, doors, bathtubs that we could put in our house. She immediately brightened and responded, “Oh you want to go to Leroy Merlin!”

Our exploratory trip.

Portugal’s Home Depot

We had actually spent a rare rainy day a few weeks back checking out Portugal’s home improvement stores. We found three major chains in our area: Leroy Merlin, MaxMat, and Brinco Depot. We instantly felt like we were walking into a Lowe’s, Home Depot, or a large Ace Hardware. Of the three we visited, Leroy Merlin was the largest and busiest. All the departments (flooring, lighting, lumbar, tools, kitchen, and bath) you would expect were on display. We found items we found in the States and, of course, items typically found in Europe: smaller refrigerators, space-saving closets, azulejo tile, etc. Everywhere we looked the items were sleek and clean. We were pleased with the selection, but it all looked so new. And while we lean toward a more modern, minimalist aesthetic we have always tried to put something in our home that was a bit unexpected. I am a bit OCD when it comes to housecleaning…but there is such a thing as too clean.

Our friend/realtor Elizabeth is representing this beautiful completely renovated apartment (inside an old building) in the center of Cascais.

Modern Portuguese Apartments

I have had the opportunity to tour more than a dozen new build apartment buildings over the last few months. We looked at a few for ourselves, and I have joined a friend on her home search. I have found that it doesn’t matter it the facade is glass and steel or a 200 year old Portuguese gem…when you walk inside you will see the same thing. Gray tile covers the floors. White painted walls (devoid of ornamentation) are mirrored by white, flat-panel white kitchen cabinets topped with gray granite. Small, modern pot lights peek through the clean white unornamented ceilings. Modern (minimalist) doors lead you into the home and slide seamlessly across the front of closets/cupboards. Ornate wrought iron banisters have been removed in favor of a glass wall or tube of aluminum and tensioned wire.

All charm and nostalgia have been ripped out. And likely it has been discarded.

Great gallery wall.

“It’s Yours”

When I visited one building site with my friend I spotted a beautiful claw foot tub, sitting in the future complex’s courtyard. It would only need a fresh coat of epoxy to restore it to beauty and usefulness. I kiddingly said to the builder/salesman, “I don’t need an apartment, but I would buy that.” “Take it. It’s yours,” he responded. “You will save me in hauling fees,” I asked if he was joking and he assured me, he was not.

In talking with our friends at the bank I learned that his response was not atypical. “It is not part of our culture,” we were told. But where do they take the stuff? I wondered.

From the Waste Management Directive.

I learned from reading our friend’s blog that the European Parliament adopted the “Waste Framework Directive” in 2008. And that the approach emphasizes prevention and reuses over disposal.

Every country in the EU is required to report their progress against the overall waste reduction targets.  The published data indicates that Portugal lags behind most other EU countries.  A European Environmental Agency report published this year showed that In 2019, Portugal recycled 29% of its municipal waste.  This was far short of the 50% target. By contrast, Germany recycled 67%.  - thecookandthewriter.com

It seems Portugal is missing a huge opportunity to improve on its metrics. Everywhere we look beautiful old buildings are being rehabbed. Unfortunately, with rare exceptions, auctions may sell the most valuable fireplace surrounds and custom bookshelves, items are simply put in the skiff to be hauled to a landfill. Isn’t it time for some enterprising folks to open a junkyard? (Not us, we are retired and wish to stay that way.) I am certain there are people like us that will buy that old cast iron tub rather than the shiny/flimsy acrylic one.

And one final plea: if you know of such a place in Portugal or the southwest corner of Spain, please let us know.