The PSOE in the Cabildo of Tenerife, the main opposition group, has expressed deep concern to Canarias Ahora regarding the management of waste on the island during the current term. They have defined 2024 as the “worst year” in this matter over the “last 40 years, due to the lower recovery rate and the increased number of tonnes buried.” The socialists fear that the situation will worsen in 2025, particularly criticising the state of the Arico plant and the “failure” concerning three of the eight new recycling depots planned, as their tenders have either been left unfilled or the awarded companies have withdrawn, necessitating new calls for tenders that, according to councillor Javier Medina, will be presented as a “renewed effort” for management and recycling.
Far from improving, Medina believes that the management of waste “is at a critical juncture on the island, characterised by contractual breaches, failed tenders, and unfulfilled promises in key projects for waste treatment and recycling.”
In this context, he confirms that the mechanical treatment plant (the environmental complex of Arico), responsible for processing unsorted waste and recovering recyclable materials like cardboard, packaging, and metals, is failing to meet the minimum recovery rates stipulated in the 2022 contract. This results in “an increased volume of waste being sent directly to landfill, raises costs for the Cabildo, and exposes it to potential legal and financial consequences due to this non-compliance.”
Regarding the recycling depots, the PSOE points out that these are “projects inherited from the socialist government and Ciudadanos, which are funded by European resources but are currently blocked. During the previous term – Medina emphasises – eight new recycling depots were planned and approved, with the goal of increasing from eight to sixteen. Furthermore, negotiations were undertaken with the Canary Islands Government to secure over 5 million euros in European funds to finance these actions.”
In fact, he recalls that, “according to the resolution from July 2024, the Cabildo participated in the 2022 grant application process, and on 15 June 2023, funding was approved: approximately 5.2 million euros for the recycling depot plan and additional funds for two circular composting community projects.” However, he contends that “one year after receiving the funds, the new governing group has made nearly no progress: in 2024 they approached the Canary Islands Government to request permission to subcontract, and by 2025, although they have attempted to tender some initiatives, their lack of management has left the programme in a state of total and complete paralysis.”
The socialists elaborate that, in May 2024, the start of construction for the new recycling depot in Arico was announced, and although the contract was awarded, “a year later, almost nothing had been executed, and the awarded company withdrew. The contract was resolved, and the project was left in limbo.” In July 2025, resolutions were published to restart the contracting process and correct errors. “When the new tender is finally issued, it will likely be presented as a boost to the project, without mentioning that it was already a failure and that the work announced over a year ago was virtually unexecuted,” the councillor criticises.
High-profile announcements that lead to nothing
The PSOE is highly critical of the pompous announcements from the insular government of CC and PP, which ultimately come to nothing and confirm the failure in this area. They remind us that the recycling depot in the municipality of Tegueste went unfilled, “although the Cabildo has not publicly communicated this nor initiated a new procedure.”
Furthermore, regarding the depot at Los Rodeos in La Laguna, they state that, in September 2024, the works were awarded with a budget of 723,320 euros and an execution period of eight months, funded by NextGenerationEU resources. “The contract was later resolved due to the contractor’s withdrawal, and the project has been put out to tender again, this time with a significantly increased budget rising to 1.1 million euros. Despite this cost overrun, there has been no public information on the reasons for the withdrawal nor the current state of execution,” Medina asserts.
Therefore, the Socialist Group denounces that “none of the eight new recycling depots planned and funded have been inaugurated during this term, and the programme, which had funding and ready projects, is now stalled.”
In this context, they also underscore that concerning the Montaña Birmagen plant for organic matter, “presented in September 2023 as the flagship project for the treatment of these wastes, the Cabildo promised it would be operational in the second half of 2025. However, the necessary land is still unavailable, and there is no technical project drafted, meaning the organic fraction remains without a specific infrastructure for its treatment.”
Consequently, the PSOE criticises that the current situation “combines rescinded contracts due to withdrawal, unfilled tenders, awarded works with no progress, and strategic projects that have not yet launched. This hinders the execution of European funds, delays environmental objectives, and undermines public confidence in the Cabildo’s ability to manage an essential service.”
