Programme nearbyCommunityLisbonPAYT pilots in Portugal: municipalities taking control of waste costsPay-As-You-Throw arrives in Portuguese cities In 2024 the Portuguese national government opened new Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) funding schemes, making it financially viable for municipalities to overhaul their waste collection systems. Municipalities including Fornos de Algodres, São João da Madeira, and Silves are implementing the measures they observed during study visits to Italy and Spain: including door-to-door collection schedules, smart bin tags that identify and reject incorrectly sorted bins, and digital monitoring tools. What PAYT means for residents - Households that separate waste correctly and generate less residual waste pay lower bills - The system creates a direct, fair link between individual behaviour and cost - Monitoring data helps municipalities pinpoint collection problems before they worsen What you can do - If your municipality is piloting PAYT, attend public information sessions and ask how your household can benefit - Advocate with your local council to apply for the new national PAYT funding - Follow ZERO for the latest funding rounds and municipal case studies Why it matters With 60 % of Portugal's waste going to overflowing landfills, cost-based incentives for households are one of the fastest levers available. PAYT pilots in Silves and São João da Madeira are the first step toward national uptake.paytwaste-reductionfunding +1
Programme nearbyRewildingRio de JaneiroFund your forest-protection project through the Amazon FundFund your forest-protection project through the Amazon Fund Fundo Amazônia, managed by BNDES, puts climate finance into projects that keep Amazon forests standing and living: fire prevention, sustainable forest economies, indigenous territories, and community stewardship. Associations, cooperatives, municipalities, and foundations can submit ideas. Belém and forest cities feel the stakes every day; organisations send proposals through the Fund's public intake in Rio de Janeiro. What you can do - Gather your cooperative, association, or municipal team and sketch one concrete forest-protection or sustainable-use project - Read Como apresentar projetos and match your draft to the Fund guidelines - Submit directly or watch for a chamada pública, then send via the BNDES Portal do Cliente (Fundos, Editais e Chamadas Públicas → Fundo Amazônia) - Skip paid intermediaries: BNDES does not accredit consultants to speed approvals How it works Eligible organisations prepare a technical proposal, protocol it in the Portal, and walk BNDES review stages. Private individuals cannot apply alone; the door is open to groups already building forest protection on the ground. Why it matters When local builders hold the pen on funded projects, Amazon stewardship stays with the people who live beside the trees.amazonforestcooperative +2
Programme nearbyEnergyWolfsburgVisit the Wolfsburg energy and funding deskVisit the Wolfsburg energy and funding desk Wolfsburger EnergieAgentur GmbH offers free, independent advice on building efficiency, renewables, and 2026 support programmes. The city energy eG is closed to new members until new projects exist. Do not treat this desk as an open cooperative. What you can do - Visit the customer office in Nordkopf Tower, Heßlinger Straße 1-5, 38440 Wolfsburg - Call 05361 8918-235 or -236 during desk hours - Ask how renovation measures can be combined, and which steps would damage the building if done in the wrong order How it works Monday to Wednesday 08:30 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 15:00. Thursday 12:00 to 15:00, and other times by appointment. Some energy-consultant services are state-funded. The agency can tell you which ones. Why it matters A funding map on paper is slower than a desk that already knows Wolfsburg stock and the current programme year.advicefundingefficiency +1
