The Island Environmental Complex has introduced a new facility for the treatment of construction and demolition waste. This infrastructure, implemented and inaugurated by the Cabildo of Tenerife at the Arico landfill, aims to process domestic waste to enable secondary uses and combat or reduce illegal dumping on roads, highways, and paths throughout the municipalities of the Island.
This treatment plant for construction and demolition waste includes a dedicated area for processing waste, as well as offices, car parks, workshops, and storage facilities. Covering an area of 5,500 square metres, the new facility is strategically situated for the efficient reception of materials from minor construction or demolition projects undertaken in homes, allowing for their classification to facilitate new uses.
The island authorities clarify that the primary aim of the debris is for the capping and sealing of waste cells within the insular Environmental Complex.
The development of the new plant will progress in three stages. Initially, the focus will be on sorting and cleaning recoverable materials (such as wood, metals, plastics, and glass). Subsequently, crushing machinery will pulverise the materials, and finally, the resultant products will be stored for reuse, either for the purpose of covering and sealing the waste cells or for distribution.
The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, states, “We are making strides in enhancing waste management in Tenerife.” Echoing this sentiment, she asserts that the new plant located in Arico will serve as a management point for domestic waste to deter illegal dumping on roads, highways, or trails. Furthermore, she believes that this infrastructure will meet the requirements of the Tenerife Environmental Complex, enabling it to acquire and utilise these aggregates for waste management purposes.
Treating 50,000 tonnes
The Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies of the Cabildo, Blanca Pérez, explains that the construction and demolition waste treatment facility will be capable of processing over 50,000 tonnes of waste annually from household projects. This includes not only cement and rubble, which will be crushed, but also other materials such as metals, wood, and glass.
The councillor adds, “With this initiative, these currently unusable materials will be given a second opportunity, either for recycling or as capping and sealing for the waste cells.”
In addition, the island director of Waste, Alejandro Molowny, emphasises that from the total of 50,000 tonnes, approximately 45,500 tonnes of rubble will be recycled for use as capping and sealing material for the waste cells. Another important point highlighted by the island director is that this crushing process serves a dual purpose: recycling all material while also providing citizens with a resource to help prevent or lessen illegal dumping occurring along our highways, roads, paths, or trails.
Alejandro Molowny also mentions that the Cabildo of Tenerife anticipates processing an additional 5,000 tonnes of various materials such as metals, wood, plastics, or glass, which will also be sorted for further use given their potential value.
This new facility at the Tenerife Environmental Complex has required an investment of 1.2 million euros.
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