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Chus Heredia
Friday, 1 December 2023, 10:05
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From Friday 1 December, 11 towns on the coast will have to pay 78% more for the treatment of their waste, sources from the Mancomunidad (consortium of town councils) on the Western Costa del Sol told SUR. The increase is due to a new European law.
The towns of Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Mijas, Fuengirola, Marbella, Estepona, Casares, Ojén, Istán, Benahavís and Manilva will have to pay for this increase. These 11 towns have their waste processed at the Costa del Sol Environmental Complex, in Casares. This facility treats the waste of a population of 560,000 inhabitants which multiplies in the tourist seasons.
“At the moment the price per tonne that is charged to the municipalities is 48.04 euros. Applying the update that Europe requires of us, it is set at 85.93 euros,” the sources said, adding that each town will decide individually whether to apply this surcharge to its residents.
Currently, the vast majority of coastal towns have a separate waste disposal rate. The legal framework obliges them to pass all costs to their citizens by 2025 in a stand alone charge. Until then, towns may choose to integrate the fee into the property tax (IBI).
The increase in the waste disposal rate is due to the requirement of the new Waste and Contaminated Soil Law for a Circular Economy of 2022, which in turn incorporates the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament, which states that these fees must cover all service management costs.
An important element in the new waste law relates to the tax on the deposit of waste in landfills and incineration plants. The purpose of this tax is to reduce the generation of waste and its deposit in landfills; promote the reuse and recycling of waste; and promote environmental education. Urbaser, which runs the Casares waste recycling centre, is expected to have to pay the government around 6.1 million euros for this new tax this year.
“This rise in rates will serve to make citizens aware of the importance of separating waste at source and this rise can be considered as an opportunity to improve recycling rates. We must make it clear to citizens that we are going to pay more, if we pollute more. We pay more to deposit more waste in landfill, and landfill waste which cannot be recycled. If we separate waste correctly in its containers (plastic containers to yellow, paper-cardboard to blue, glass to green, organic to brown) only what remains in the grey container will be what will go to the landfill,” the sources added.
The Casares waste recycling centre is currently in the process of improving its facilities with an investment of 45 million euros.
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