Spanish Parliament Passes Waste Act

The Spanish Parliament has passed the Act on Waste and Contaminated Land, which includes initiatives designed to expand the nation’s recycling infrastructure.

The Spanish Association of Paper and Cardboard (REPACAR) says the new law is designed to promote recycling throughout Europe and implement a system that would expand existing recycling programs. Industry leaders represented by REPACAR say they are pleased the Act on Waste and Contaminated Land passed and hopes it will work as designed to improve recycling and waste collection systems.

Currently, Europe has a scrap paper recovery rate of 69 percent and an exported surplus of recovered paper and board, estimated at 12 million tons. REPACAR says the surplus is a direct result of successful implementation of waste management policies, supported by citizen participation. The surplus of recovered paper from France, Spain and Portugal amounts to about 2.4 million tons. REPACAR says annual exports of recovered paper to the United States, Japan, China and other parts of Europe prevents 65 million tons of material from being disposed of in landfills. It also prevents the consumption of 54 million metric tons of wood needed to produce virgin pulp.

Spain exports 9 percent of its recovered paper outside the European Union. Without this export system, the collection system in Spain would be too costly and unable to continue at the standards it has previously been run, says REPACAR.

The Act on Waste and Contaminated Land was voted into law in Spain on July 14, 2011.