SPAIN: govt proposes £2Bn plan to cut MSW 6% by 2005

The government plans to introduce waste charges, separate collections and provide incentives to encourage citizens to reduce the amount of waste they throw away.

To increase recycling and recovery, the government plans to install recycling containers for every 500 citizens, aiming to achieve separate collection of 80% of packaging waste, with 50% of this recycled.

The draft plan proposes the promotion of composting and setting composting standards, with a view to composting 50% of organic waste by 2005. It would also close down four incinerators that do not have energy recovery by 2001, and open four new incinerators.

Illegal waste dumping is a major problem in Spain, currently accounting for an estimated 12% (2 million tonnes/year) of MSW. To deal with this problem, the government is proposing action to close 3,700 illegal waste dumps, and recover contaminated land. It also proposes to build 200 new landfills to European standards, and to start making use of landfill gas.

Implementation of the draft plan is expected to cost the government over 500 billion Pesetas (£2 billion).