A composting facility to convert waste into fertiliser and implement the so-called fifth container, the organic one, in the municipalities of the island, as it is currently only developed in Santa Cruz, the capital. These are the main pillars to lay the groundwork for a future solution to a serious problem on the island: the lack of recycling. The Council addressed this week the analysis of the Special Territorial Plan for Waste Management in Tenerife (PTEOR), through the Monitoring Committee created just a few months ago. This body determines that the new infrastructure must be located in the Metropolitan Area. The members of the committee were informed about the current state of the plan’s development and the latest developments regarding the waste management contract carried out by the UTE Nivaria formed by Urbaser and FCC Medio Ambiente.
The Councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability and Security and Emergency Services of the Council, Blanca Pérez; and the Insular Director of Waste, Alejandro Molowny, presented the situation in this area. Pérez states that “the objective is to improve waste management and position Tenerife as a benchmark in this field”. To achieve this, the councillor believes that “it is essential to recover organic matter through composting facilities in line with the waste plan”. She also insists that the key is “to take into account the municipalities, with which we are working to improve processes as a whole”. Blanca Pérez also reveals that “the project has already begun” to build the composting facility in the Metropolitan Area, a crucial infrastructure to improve waste recycling. Furthermore, efforts are being made to increase selective collection, collaborating with the chosen operator, Ecoembes, to comply with legal standards in packaging collection.
Alejandro Molowny, on the other hand, focuses on the situation of recycling centres. Currently, the reform of the facilities in Jagua (Santa Cruz), Las Torres de Taco (La Laguna), Güímar, Adeje and Buenavista del Norte is being tendered for €700,000. Work is also underway to launch those in Arico, Los Rodeos (La Laguna), Fasnia, Granadilla, San Miguel, Vilaflor, Guía de Isora and Tegueste. “The aim of the actions is to improve and facilitate waste collection for the public and its subsequent treatment,” emphasises Molowny.
Also within the area managed by Blanca Pérez, the Official Gazette of the Province (BOP) published on Friday the agreement of the last Government Council approving the Annual Plan for the Prevention, Surveillance and Extinguishing of Forest Fires in Tenerife for 2024. This is an annual administrative legal document that describes the set of activities in terms of prevention and surveillance to minimise forest fires and their effects.