Tenerife concluded 2024 with “the poorest waste recovery statistics in its history”, or at least since the inception of the Special Territorial Plan for Waste Management (Pteor), a strategy that has been in place for 40 years. This was stated by PSOE counsellor in the Cabildo de Tenerife, Javier Rodríguez Medina, who was responsible for this area during the previous term.
This indicates that throughout the previous year, the waste figures set aside in Arico surged, as highlighted in the inaugural meeting of the 2025 plan monitoring commission held on January 14 at the Santiago Martín pavilion. This meeting involved local municipalities and evaluated the progress of the strategy throughout 2024, marking the first complete management by the Island Government coalition of Canarian parties and the Popular Party.
The deterioration of management resulted in the waste recovery facility, where users do not separate waste at the source, known as the “Mechanical Treatment Plant all in one”, being nearly out of operation for four months, according to the PSOE.
This facility typically recovers around 2,000 tonnes of waste per month, diverting it from the Arico site where it would be buried. However, the prolonged search for solutions following the fire meant that Tenerife went without this recovery process for the aforementioned four months, leading to an additional nearly 8,000 tonnes being buried alongside the usual amounts.
It should be noted, as indicated by the PSOE, that the island produces approximately 670,000 tonnes of waste annually, translating to about 1,800 tonnes per day, of which only a maximum of 3.5% is recovered. This underlines the critical role of the “mechanical treatment all in one” facility for the environmental landscape, as the recovery figures, while low on a percentage basis, represent significant numbers due to the large volume handled, stated the councillor.
During the previous term, a comprehensive facility for bio-stabilised organic matter was reconstructed, the packaging recovery plant that had been overwhelmed was expanded, and over 8,000 tonnes of tyres were removed to enhance safety and create space for recycling companies. However, “the management by CC and PP has seen no improvements in this sector, but rather a regression,” claims the PSOE.
Javier Rodríguez has reminded the governing group led by Rosa Dávila that Tenerife cannot sustain such a pattern concerning waste and spills, given the fragility of their circumstances. Nevertheless, under the current island government, alarming situations persist, such as the residues ending up buried and the closure of beaches and coastal areas due to contamination.
Javier Rodríguez Medina explained that all advancements on the island “have been driven by the PSOE, starting with the agreement facilitating the construction of treatment plants to prevent waste from being dumped into the sea and to enable water reuse for agriculture.”
