Our Latest Portuguese Frustration

Or, I finally thought of something I miss from the US...

Sorry folks…today’s post is going to be a bitch session. And believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the shitshow happening in the US. Instead, it has to do with garbage.

Trash Talking

Within 2 months of arriving in Portugal, I wrote my first post about trash. Frankly, I never thought I would write another one. It was one of the many new things we had to learn when we moved to Portugal. Garbage trucks did not whisk by your home two or three mornings a week to take away your trash. Instead, you walked a block or two to the garbage and recycling containers. Many of these containers were unsightly. People sometimes missed and failed to retrieve their errant shots. Others failed to cut down the boxes that wouldn’t fit in the paper recycling chute and instead just stacked them next to the bin.

But good news, these unsightly and sometimes smelling necessities were not in front of our house. Until now….

My Unexpected Birthday Gift

Our story begins on a beautiful February morning. The air was crisp, but the sun was warm, high in the sky. It was my 71st birthday and I was returning from my morning walk. When I arrived on our street, I noticed metal barriers and warning tape. I read the sign on one of the barriers explaining that our street would be closed from the 18th to the 28th of February. The next morning I moved our car and a few hours later lots of equipment and workmen descended on our inner-”city” street.

Perhaps they were finally going to fix the water line that ran down our street. You see, every few months that line cracked in a new spot. On one occasion, the rear, driver’s side tire fell into a small sink hole that had appeared overnight. The car was towed away … equipment arrived … they dug a big hole … the pipe was repaired … the hole was filled and cobblestones were replaced. A few months later, another one a few feet further down the street appeared. While we appreciated them restoring the water quickly, it seemed they were not really fixing the problem.

I asked a merchant on the street if my assessment was correct. He shook his head, “Não, põem o lixo debaixo da rua.” I know my language comprehensive skills are limited…but I think he said they were “putting garbage under the street”. What?

I cleaned the front of the house last night during a break in the rain. I woke to this this morning…I am over the rain.

“Noah”

Of course, the work was not completed by the 28th. On some days work began at 10:00 and ended by noon. On other days, there was no work at all. They did move a water line to the side of the street nearest our home. They filled the trench with dirt and then disappeared for a week. During their work hiatus, it rained every day. So the dirt road became the muddy hole road, and as traffic had been restored, the front of our white house and immaculately clean windows became the muddy brown house with the dirty windows.

Passersby (people we didn’t even know) knocked on our door. “Tirar fotografias. Enviar para câmara.” (Take photographs. Deliver them to the câmara.) Convinced no one from the city would do anything, I instead washed down the house, windows, and front door whenever it stopped raining. A futile effort, I admit. But I do have just a touch of OCD in me.

Then last week, they closed the street again. Dug big holes and started installing giant underground trash containers across the street from our house. Two are currently installed … but we believe the plan is to install 5.

Work was to be completed by 28 February. Photo taken 13 March…2 units installed to date.

Futile Protest

I asked a Portuguese friend who was born in VRSA and has lived here his entire life why these monstrosities are popping up all over town. He explained that the President (mayor) is up for election this year. I can’t vote in the Portuguese election … but I assure you, he would not get my vote.

So today, I took action. I wrote an email to the câmara. I have summarized my concerns below:

1. Parking: These units will eliminate 2 or 3 legal parking spaces on an already crowded street adjacent to the pedestrian shopping area.

2. Inconsistent with architectural integrity: We were required to build our home to strict exterior standards as we were in the historic district, yet they place these monstrosities in front of our house. ((I didn’t mention that our property value is decreasing with each container they install.)

3. Lack of transparency: There does not seem to be a process to know what is planned and to receive public comment before a project begins. It is not because we are not “locals” … I checked, they don’t know either.

4. Odor and debris: While some cities, like Cascais, collect boxes that don’t fit in the containers and wash around the containers each morning … no one is expecting a town with the financial difficulties of VRSA to afford such a maintenance schedule.

Areas around the units installed in Cascais are cleaned every morning.

I showed it to two merchants on our street. While I used DeepL to check the translation, I wanted to ensure the tone was appropriate for a Portuguese audience. One of the merchants liked it so much she asked me to make it into a petition. She just rang my doorbell and returned the “petition” with signatures of nearly all the merchants and homeowners on our street. I learned the priest for the church across the street also signed it. He is upset as one container is next to the door where they distribute food to the poor. To be official, the petition must be sent registered mail. So I will spend €5 to mail it.

Do I think it will have any effect?

No!

However, I have finally remembered something I liked about the US … Home Owner Associations.

Estou muito frustrada, até logo…

Nanc

Thank you: We lost a lot of subscribers due to my comments about US politics…but we are back! While it is never my intent to monetize this site, and I never expect to have over a million subscribers like Heather Cox Richardson … getting over the 5000 hurdle has always been a goal of mine. Thanks for sticking with me … for your comments and support. O maior presente da vida é a amizade, e eu o recebi. (The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.)