The Temporary Union of Companies (UTE) Arico Green Glass, the only one that has submitted an offer within the established period, is committed to recycling and rules out thermal treatments at the plant for the reuse of waste envisaged in plot AG2 of the Tenerife Environmental Complex (CAT), located in Arico. This is announced by the president of the council, Peter Martinwhich, in addition, has presented two separate reports from the technicians of the insular institution and the University of La Laguna (UL) to endorse the tender in progress.
The process has aroused, since it was known in October of last year, the rejection of the opposition in the insular institution, as well as the Arico City Council, with the argument that “what is intended is, simply, burn the garbage». According to the government team, on the contrary, this structure will allow the waste treatment and thus avoid its burial in the spill cells.
The controversy arose when it emerged, as this newspaper announced in its day, the tender to install in 27,000 square meters of the Arico Environmental Complex a recycling plant where incineration with oxidation was prohibited, but it was possible other thermal treatments such as pyrolysis, plasma or gasification. A plenary Commission, held on November 19, with the votes in favor of CC, PP and Sí Podemos Canarias, which supports the government from outside, rejected the process, but the Insular Government Council decided to continue with the endorsement of the reports shown yesterday. The president of the Cabildo defends the legality of the Council’s agreement and his power to make the decision, although the insistence of the opposition has led to the convening of an extraordinary plenary session today to deal with this matter.
Studies and proposal
Martín and the island councilor for Sustainable Development and the Fight Against Climate Change, Javier Rodríguez Medina, have presented the studies and the proposal, which is still under analysis. They insist that “incineration is totally ruled out, which is already prohibited in the specifications». The president of the Cabildo points out that the specialists consulted corroborate “that the tender for the CAT plot complies with European, national and regional regulations.” Peter Martin values that the entire process is endorsed by “the reports of the ULL and the seven technicians of the area of Sustainable Development of the Cabildo, which endorse a solid proposal.” He reiterates that “they have made it clear that it is necessary for us to tender this plot to allocate it to activities that allow the recovery of waste.”
The president affirms that in these reports it is clearly explained that in this tender “there is not, nor has there ever been, space for incineration, because it is expressly excluded. They also make it clear that complies with European regulations, with the national legislation, that of the Autonomous Community and with the Waste Plan of the Island of Tenerife». Pedro Martín recalls that «Canarian Coalition has circulated false arguments, by indicating that we intended to install an incinerator only to hinder management and with the lack of a solid basis for justification, without offering objective data to support these claims». He insists that “the only ones who have presented documents have been us.” He points out the insular president that “this matter makes us lose a lot of time in denying falsehoods.”
“It seems that from time to time the strategy of DC it is to launch falsehoods and we have to dedicate ourselves to explaining things like this or delay the procedures, ”argues Martín. The president indicates that “this bidding process has not yet been completed” and adds that “to date we only have a single proposal.” “For now, there has been no adjudication yet – the process could also be abandoned – and that proposal only includes waste recycling,” he values.
notable needs
Councilor Rodríguez Medina has indicated that “the needs in terms of waste management are notable on this Island because we continue to operate with a model that was launched in 1985.” In this regard, he has valued the need to “end the 35 years of burying the garbage». And he has recalled “the paradigm shift” that will occur shortly with the new waste management contract in Tenerife. To this the counselor has added that the bidding for the AG2 plot complies with the guidelines of the Insular Plan for Land Management (PIOT) and the Special Territorial Plan for Waste Management (PTEOR). He has emphasized that the reports of the technicians support the tender, which enjoys, he said, “all the legal anchorage it needs, backed by the technicians of this house and by the ULL.” The director Rodríguez Medina has reminded that the company has presented an offer of Valorization of category R3. In other words, it proposes the recycling or recovery of organic substances that are not used as solvents, including composting and other biological transformation processes.
“Pedro Martín confuses the population”
The CC-PNC group of the Cabildo de Tenerife “rejects the burning of waste in the Environmental Complex of Tenerife (CAT)”, located in Arico, for which it has requested an Extraordinary Plenary Session to be held today, starting at 9:00 a.m.: 00 hours. The nationalist counselor, Blanca Pérez, explains that “there is an agreement of November 19, 2021, which was approved by a majority, so that the tender for the CAT incinerator is suspended and Pedro Martín is not complying with it.” Pérez values that “they have continued with the procedure, skipping the agreement and trying to impose the incinerator by force.” Neither the president, Pedro Martín, nor the counselor, Javier Rodríguez, insists the counselor “have ruled on the use that will be given to the gas obtained in the project presented, which will be none other than burning it.” She sentences that “they say it is not going to burn, but they are going to do it and that is confusing the population.” The nationalist group recalls that there is a unanimous agreement of the Plenary of March 29, 2019 declaring the Island of Tenerife as a Territory Free of Incinerators. It supposes, they conclude, “demonstrating the renunciation of incineration as a method to solve the insular management of waste.”
