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Date Published: 30/04/2024

Waste treatment plant headed for the Costa Blanca

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The recycling facility is planned for Torremendo, a small town on the Region of Murcia border

Waste treatment plant headed for the Costa Blanca

A new facility intended to manage 200,000 metric tonnes of recyclable waste per annum may soon emerge in the vicinity of Torremendo, a small town close to San Miguel de Salinas and situated between the La Pedrera reservoir and the Region of Murcia border.

Confirmed by Francisco Cano, President of Vega Baja Sustainability Consortium, the German firm Prezero, which oversees the regional waste strategy, intends to build a modern waste treatment centre instead of a traditional landfill.

Crucially, the authorities have promised that no refuse dumping will take place at the site, a factor that has led to multiple protests against the facility in Torremendo over the years.

At the moment, this part of the Costa Blanca lacks a dedicated waste treatment plant or landfill despite being one of the most densely populated areas of the Valencian Community. Municipalities have to rely on external companies to remove their waste at great expense. Recent improvements include a transfer plant built in Dolores, which has made it easier and more cost-effective to haul rubbish to approved dumpsites in Alicante and sometimes even Cañada Hermosa in Murcia.

The area being studied for the new recycling plant is located between Sierra Escalona and the Sierras del Cristo and Pujálvarez, right on the Murcian boundary line. These mountain ranges are actually supposed to be declared as a natural park sometime in the future, and Sierra Escalona is already listed as a Special Bird Protection Area, something which, until now, has prevented any industrial activity on the land.

However, according to the authorities, this part of Torremendo is the perfect site for two reasons. Firstly, the land isn’t particularly valuable, since its dryness means it’s only suitable for growing crops like carob, almond and olive trees.

Secondly, this plot, together with the high areas of La Murada and Barbarroja, makes up the least densely populated site in the area and the one that is furthest from built-up urban areas.

The deal is by no means sealed, though, as the plans still have to go through rigorous environmental evaluations where the landscape itself, along with the aesthetic and acoustic impact of the potential treatment plant will be assessed.

In other news: Benidorm Terra Mítica theme park reopens on May 17

Image: Freepik

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