The rise in waste management costs imposed by the State Government will necessitate that the municipalities of Tenerife pay an additional 15 million euros annually. This situation has sparked contrasting opinions among the councils, influenced by the ruling party. The perspectives range from the support seen in Candelaria, governed by the PSOE; to analyses in La Laguna, where there is a PSOE-CC coalition, through to the discontent in El Rosario or Santiago del Teide, where the IR-Greens and the PP are in power, respectively.
“The introduction of the new waste fee in the Canary Islands marks a significant milestone in our transition toward a circular economy,” stated the mayor of Candelaria, Mari Brito (PSOE). “As both mayor and president of the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (Fecam), we are committed to ensuring that this measure is fair, just, and effective. It is crucial to emphasise that this fee is not an end in itself, but rather a vital instrument for financing improvements in our waste management services and safeguarding our environment,” she added, continuing with, “The funds raised will be directed towards modernising infrastructure, promoting recycling, and encouraging more sustainable consumption habits. We urge citizens to partake in this collective endeavour and contribute to building a more sustainable future for our islands.”
Technical Assessment
Official sources from the Lagunero government group indicated that the City Council “is currently conducting a technical and legal assessment to prepare the new tax ordinance in line with the European directive.”
The mayor of El Rosario, Escolásico Gil, who also presides over the Northeastern Commonwealth (which includes the municipalities of Tacoronte, Santa Úrsula, El Sauzal, La Matanza, and La Victoria), explained that El Rosario, through the Commonwealth, has already initiated the tendering process for a new waste collection service to adhere to the recycling and circular economy standards that will come into effect in all six municipalities from April 2025. “Nonetheless, since January 1, the Cabildo of Tenerife has begun deducting the new tax from the municipal letter for all municipalities to ensure their waste is processed at the Arico Environmental Complex,” he noted.
“We have no choice but to comply with the new national legislation that transposes European regulations on waste management. The City Council of El Rosario is only tasked with updating the waste fee, which is mandatory, and we will implement it in a way that provides discounts to those who recycle and separate waste at the source,” continued Gil.
The mayor of El Rosario expressed regret that “whenever new laws are introduced, the same issue arises: they are created, and subsequently, local governments are empowered to implement them without any financing being allocated.” In a similar vein, he elaborated that El Rosario must “deal with two nursery schools costing us 750,000 euros annually, as the Government does not cover education for children aged 0 to 3; also, the lifeguard service on the beaches, despite a ruling in favour from the 2018 beaches decree; the expenses arising from the new animal welfare law without any financial support; and potential indemnification concerning holiday home operations if it is ultimately confirmed by Parliament under the conditions set forth in the bill.”
Additional Responsibilities
Gil connected the aforementioned issues with the current situation regarding waste collection: “Now, with the new waste legislation, the same situation arises: it sets new obligations, such as ensuring collection services are no longer deficient, while it falls upon the town councils to amend the regulations to implement the tax that the Cabildo of Tenerife has officially communicated to us following the transposition of the community directive. “I will not engage in demagoguery about this matter; we must address it transparently.”
On the same day, the El Tanque Canarian Coalition accused the local PSOE government of being in favour of increasing the waste rate for residents following their vote against a nationalist motion demanding the repeal of the obligation to establish a waste fee as stipulated by Law 7/2022. “This new regulation, endorsed by the Spanish Government led by the Socialist Party, signifies an increase of over 150% in the waste collection fee. This implies that a family in our municipality will end up paying more than three times their current rate,” criticised CC spokesperson Carlos Alegría at City Hall.
Early in December, the Santiago del Teide City Council called upon the central government to repeal the waste fee. The government, headed by Emilio Navarro, expressed “deep disapproval of the mandate requiring local entities to impose a waste fee and pass the complete burden of waste collection, management, and treatment onto residents.” The Santiago City Council views this obligation as “a further assault on the finances of citizens, who will have to bear the complete costs of waste management, even though many municipalities have managed to ease this obligation.”
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