Tenerife’s Environmental Complex, located in Arico, opened its doors to the public this week in celebration of World Recycling Day. The initiative, organised by the Cabildo of Tenerife, allowed schoolchildren, teachers, professionals, and local residents to learn firsthand about the operations of the island’s main waste treatment centre and its sustainable transition projects.

Engagement from the Community

Throughout the event, hundreds of attendees toured the facilities and participated in environmental activities. Among those present were students and educators from Arona and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as industry specialists. The aim was to bring the community closer to the crucial but often overlooked issue of waste management and how waste can be transformed into new resources.

Importance of Recycling

The President of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, inaugurated the event, emphasising the importance of recycling and resource recovery in an insular territory. In an isolated system like Tenerife’s, she reminded everyone, “every sustainable decision has direct consequences for the environment, the economy, and quality of life.” Dávila advocated for Tenerife to become a benchmark for other island territories and ultra-peripheral regions of the European Union through advanced treatment technologies.

Positive Progress in Recycling

The data indicates a positive trend. From 2023 to 2026, the recovery of recyclable materials in Tenerife has increased by over 50%, particularly in paper, cardboard, and plastics. This progress is linked to improvements in processing plants and community collaboration, as proper source separation remains the critical first step in the chain. When waste is adequately sorted, treatment costs are reduced, the quality of recovered materials is enhanced, and the amount sent to landfill decreases.

Prioritising Environmental Education

Consequently, environmental education has become a priority. Educational visits to the Environmental Complex have grown from 55 tours with 2,018 participants in 2020 to 111 visits and 3,405 participants in the current academic year. This growth consolidates the interest of educational institutions and families in understanding the recycling and circular economy infrastructures in Tenerife.

Healthier Public Management

The island’s Councillor for the area, Blanca Pérez, highlighted that these events promote transparency in public management. “The goal is for residents, students, and professionals to see firsthand the waste management model of Tenerife, to which 66 million euros have been invested, along with the current state of infrastructure and strategic projects underway,” she noted.

A New Resource Centre

In a similar vein, the island’s Waste Director, Alejandro Molowny, emphasised the shift in focus of the complex. “The Environmental Complex is no longer just a treatment facility; it is a resource centre,” he stated. After investments of over 60 million euros, the challenge is to demonstrate how research and awareness translate into real solutions for the island.

Tenerife + Sustainable Initiative

Much of this strategy is channelled through Tenerife + Sostenible, a programme that encompasses educational projects, awareness actions, and participation tools. One such project is the Mobile Classroom S’Lab, an itinerant facility that tours the municipalities to decentralise environmental education. Through dynamic activities and virtual tours, this initiative provides citizens with guidelines for responsible waste management. In its first school year, it has attracted nearly 800 participants.

Enhanced Sustainability Programs

Another notable programme is Aulas + Sostenibles, aimed at Year 4 Primary and Year 2 Secondary students. This initiative introduces responsible development models through workshops, environmental visits, recycling bins, and the Somos + Sostenibles contest. Aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the project has expanded from 35 centres in 2019 to 90 in the current academic year.

Engaging Families for Sustainability

The initiative Personas + Sostenibles is also growing, targeting families and local groups to transform daily habits into environmentally impactful and economically beneficial actions. In 2025, it reached 118 families across seven municipalities, compared to 87 families in six municipalities recorded in 2022. Overall, school involvement in these initiatives has surged in the 2025/2026 academic year, with 90 centres and 7,957 students participating, nearly triple the number in 2019.

Promoting Reuse Methods

The Cabildo is also implementing measures to encourage reuse. Truec@, a sustainable exchange digital application, allows users to give a second life to items they no longer use. Through a points system linked to clean points, this tool promotes a model based on repurposing, solidarity, and environmental awareness. Since its launch in April last year, it has attracted over 700 users and facilitated nearly a thousand exchanges.

Expanding Clean Point Network

The network of clean points is another key element. Facilities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Jagua), Las Torres de Taco, Güímar, Adeje, Buenavista del Norte, La Guancha, La Orotava, and Arona have been supplemented by clean points in Tegueste and Los Rodeos, with the one in Arico currently under construction. La Chafiras in San Miguel de Abona is pending inauguration, along with the logistics centre in Arona.

Increased Use of Clean Points

Public response has confirmed this progress. In 2025, the clean points recorded a historic figure of 338,920 users and 63,128 tonnes of waste deposited. Within less than four years, the number of people using these facilities has risen by 21.57%, while recovered waste for the circular economy has grown by 16.81%.

Improved Logistics Management

Logistical management has also seen improvements. The volume of waste processed through transfer stations rose from 416,835.39 tonnes in 2023 to 421,714.32 tonnes in 2025, accounting for 75.51% of the island’s total load. Despite moving 4,878.93 tonnes more, road transport only increased by 1.05%, thanks to better load optimisation per trip.

Sustainable Growth Amidst Challenges

This effort occurs against a backdrop of increasing demographic and tourism pressure. Between 2023 and 2025, Tenerife gained 17,654 residents, an increase of 1.86%, and surpassed 6.5 million annual visitors. Despite this rise, the domestic waste managed at the Environmental Complex grew more modestly at 6.05%, from 526,664.77 to 558,519.51 tonnes, indicating a moderation of waste per person.

Significant Recoveries from Waste

Investments made in the sorting plant have allowed recovery rates to reach between 6% and 8%, some of the highest in the country for such facilities. This figure already surpasses 26,000 tonnes annually of materials recovered from mixed waste that reaches the Environmental Complex. The challenge remains to reduce landfill waste and turn every piece of waste into an opportunity for a more sustainable Tenerife.