Toilets that can't flush paper

I know Portugal isn't the only country with this affliction, (and it might not be the case in every building?) but it's absolutely disgusting to have to stuff soiled toilet paper in a tiny trash can instead of flushing it down. My understanding is this needs to be done because the pipes are inadequate. I knew this was the case in Brazil (which I won't excuse either) but I was shocked to find this was the case in a European city like Lisbon. Is it really that difficult to install bigger pipes?