Tenerife invests millions in a new waste management system and increased recycling.

We worked diligently, putting our heart and soul into this endeavor. The situation was complex: old equipment, which had been operating for decades, needed to be updated or even completely replaced. Therefore, for the past two years, we have focused on developing a new waste management system on the island.

We have invested significant funds – around 55-60 million euros – not only in new infrastructure, but also in transport, equipment, research, and educational projects. It's a comprehensive approach. We look at the waste management problem from different angles, because the most important thing for us is the future of Tenerife. We want to create a system that will work for a long time, regardless of political changes, and that complies with the Island Plan. We strive to find solutions to this important problem, especially on an island where everything is a bit more complicated than on the mainland. Our remote status forces us to be resourceful in order to implement such a complex but inspiring project.

I always say: the best waste is the waste that is not produced. This is where our waste management model begins. First – reuse and recycling, and only then – safe disposal. We have already made some progress, and recycling on Tenerife is increasing, but we are still far from our goals. That is why we pay great attention to educating and informing people, especially young people.

There is still a lot of work to be done, including increasing the amount of sorted waste collection. For example, in San Miguel de Abona, the Re-Viste project for textile recycling is being implemented – it is one of six cities in Spain where a pilot project is taking place. And the fact that this is happening in Tenerife gives us a great opportunity to extend this model to the whole country, including the Canary Islands.

The Tenerife Environmental Complex is a large enterprise that processes waste from a million people. It is not easy to find infrastructure with such capacity. On the mainland, it is easier to separate and process waste by zone. But we are an island, and everything we produce must be recycled here. We also want to develop the recycling industry, although we do not currently have enough waste for this. We are supported by the Cabildo, which is developing laws that protect waste and ensure that it remains in the Canary Islands.

When representatives of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) say that the current figures are the worst in the last 40 years, they are taking into account the three years when the plant was not operating due to a fire. Of course, during this period, waste was not recycled, but immediately buried. The fire damaged the electrical panels and the plant's control system. But we were able to restore operations in just three months. These 90 days spoiled all the statistics, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, as we showed in the two-year report, the figures are the best in history. Thanks to large investments and the rapid implementation of automation, the operation of the waste sorting plant has improved significantly. We recycle even waste that has not been separated. And we have achieved the best recovery results in recent years, increasing them from 2% to 5%, and we plan to reach 7% by the end of the year.

The Tenerife Environmental Complex is a complex of industrial facilities. It is a safe place to work, where all possible risks to people, the environment, and property have been identified, assessed, and controlled. This does not mean that there is no risk at all, but it is reduced to an acceptable level in accordance with norms and regulations. We have a complete assessment of occupational risks, which takes into account all hazards – chemical, electrical, mechanical, etc. We regularly conduct internal and external audits, have clear instructions in case of emergencies, carry out maintenance, and constantly train staff. We also encourage a safety culture where employees report incidents and actively participate in training and exercises.

We plan to complete all the work we have started. Some have already been completed, others are in the final stages. We want to get all the equipment up and running and make the system completely energy independent, so that we generate our own electricity. In addition, we plan to start building new infrastructure, which is provided for in our comprehensive waste management model, to ensure proper waste recycling now and in the future.

It is important that all this work is carried out without stopping production. After all, it is one thing to build something new, and another to modernize something that is already working. For example, we invested 19 million euros in the waste processing plant. It processes about 1,500 tons of waste every day (490,000 per year), which is brought in by about a hundred trucks. This requires clear coordination, as it is necessary to make scheduled stops at some stages in order to carry out modernization and recycling at the same time. The same applies to the water supply and electricity generation system. We are trying to combine the operation of the existing infrastructure, which cannot be stopped, with all these improvements.

We plan to put it out to tender after the agreement between the Government of the Canary Islands and Ecoembes is signed, which defines the payment formula for the company that will manage it. This has nothing to do with the service contract with UTE Nivaria (one of the largest in the history of the Cabildo). This is a separate infrastructure located in the environmental complex. It recycles all the packaging collected in the yellow containers on the streets, sorting it by type of material.

We have been working with Ecoembes for two years to implement the agreement signed a few weeks ago. The Cabildo must join it, and this will be the starting point for putting the packaging recycling plant out to tender. When packaging is recycled, it is sold at auction and bought by a recycler. This money goes to pay for the investment and operation of the plant.

The system is economically self-sufficient: the sale of recycled packaging maintains the plant that sorts it. To do this, we had to wait for this agreement to be signed. We already have all the necessary documents to put it out to tender. Some changes are needed to increase capacity and productivity. Today, it operates with difficulties, but it recycles all the packaging from the island. We want to achieve the best technical conditions for recycling materials. We are on the home stretch.

I always say: the best waste is the waste that is not produced. And awareness is very important here. As part of our CAT visit program, we have received 9,000 people and 158 families – a record number. But now we are also going out with a mobile classroom to reach the whole island. We are reaching out not only to children, but also to other population groups, to everyone. This is a very interesting event that attracts attention and is popular with people.

In addition, we plan to install a model of a sorting station in the environmental classroom so that people can see how one of the most important waste recycling infrastructures works.

We also value scientific research related to waste as another important element of our work.

It is important for us to combine research and innovation with practical work so that our services are constantly improved through new developments. We want our model to be modern and use the latest technologies.

We have ten projects planned, worth 10.4 million euros. We have already implemented almost half of them and plan to continue implementing new projects. Various universities are involved, including the University of La Laguna.

For example, we plan to install solar panels on the roof of the landfill to collect solar energy, as well as use a horizontal biogas collection system, which is 25% more efficient than a vertical system and allows for more electricity to be generated.

It is important to turn garbage into waste, and waste into resources or raw materials. This is our path. When we finish cleaning up, we will make Tenerife more environmentally friendly.

If we do not separate organic waste where it is produced, we will have a problem. But if we do separate it, we will have a great opportunity. And this applies not only to organic waste, but to any other waste that can be recycled to achieve the goals set by the European Union.

This makes waste management – which all citizens pay for – less costly. The Cabildo of Tenerife does not charge municipalities for the recycling of organic waste that comes to our environmental complex.

Currently, it is about 2,200 tons per year, not much compared to the total volume, but the trend is upward. Currently, only nine municipalities have a fifth container (brown): Santa Cruz, La Laguna, Granadilla, San Miguel, and the Northeast Community, which unites six.

Fact: of the approximately 490,000 tons of waste that enters the complex, about 35-40% is unseparated organic waste. We need to work to reduce this figure.