Mijas is set to receive over one million euros to expand and upgrade its waste transfer station. The acting Regional Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Catalina García, announced on Tuesday 9th that the project submitted by the local government in 2024 has been designated as a “priority” under the Andalusian Regional Government’s Bio-waste Transfer Station Plan (PlanetA). The announcement was made during a working meeting held by the minister at the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol with the mayoresses of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP); Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz; and Torremolinos, Margarita del Cid, as well as members of the supramunicipal body’s assembly. She was accompanied by the deputy minister, Sergio Arjona, and the director-general for Environmental Sustainability and the Circular Economy, Carmen Jiménez. The work will be carried out through the Association of Municipalities.
“It is great news for us that the project is among the highest-rated and that the proposal for our municipal transfer station, which had significant room for improvement, has been approved by the Andalusian Ministry of the Environment”, said the mayoress of Mijas. “This shows not only that it is well-designed, but also that serving so many people in a strategic area of the Costa del Sol is a top priority”, added Mata, who noted that “the Entrerríos transfer station receives the waste before it is sent to the main treatment plant on the Costa del Sol, located in Casares”.
Following the approval of the plan, which has a 5-million-euro budget funded by European ERDF grants, the Directorate-General for Environmental Sustainability and the Circular Economy and has completed its selection process, assessing and approving 33 projects promoted by local councils, provincial councils, associations of municipalities, and waste management consortia, creating a comprehensive network of interventions to provide effective coverage for the Andalusian waste transfer network.
- Al encuentro han asistido las alcaldesas de Mijas, Fuengirola, Torremolinos y Marbella, y miembros de la asamblea de la Mancomunidad.
- MJ GÓMEZ
PlanetA Plan
The plan also includes the Marbella plant which, combined with the Mijas facility, will serve a population of around 340,000. “This highlights the importance of these projects, which will facilitate the separate collection of organic waste and make transporting bio-waste from these towns to the treatment plants simpler and safer”, said the regional minister. “Both facilities are part of a group of four priority initiatives, alongside the stations in Seville and Mairena del Aljarafe, which will serve a potential population of over 1.29 million inhabitants”, explained García, adding that “prioritising these projects will allow the practical roll-out of the PlanetA Plan o begin with high-capacity infrastructure”.
- Además de la regidora mijeña, también ha estado el concejal del equipo de gobierno, Daniel Gómez Teruel, como delegado del ente supramunicipal.
- MJ GÓMEZ
"Priority"
Regarding the project, the mayoress highlighted that “it has been one of the highest-rated; it comes with a grant of over one million euros to enclose the site, a refurbishment that meets environmental targets for sustainability and improves working conditions at the plant. It also includes an expansion to make day-to-day operations much easier for the staff there”.
Transfer stations play an essential role in the waste management system, particularly in areas far from the main treatment facility in Casares. They also help to optimise transport, reduce travel times, improve operational efficiency and encourage the expansion of separate waste collection.
“We will continue to work on projects that make Mijas a more sustainable municipality, where we meet recycling targets and where we can provide the necessary systems for disposing of the waste we generate daily. Sometimes, we don’t realise that we need to leave behind a better world”, the mayoress of Mijas concluded, adding that her focus remains on “the constant improvement of general environmental conditions in the municipality.” In this regard, she recalled the town’s recent award for glass recycling.
- La reunión ha tenido lugar este martes en la Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental.
- MJ GÓMEZ
Cooperation framework
During her visit to the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, the regional minister stated that “the Andalusian Regional Government’s commitment to transfer stations represents a decisive step towards strengthening collaboration with local authorities”. “We cannot ignore”, Catalina García warned, “that while municipal waste management is the responsibility of local authorities, the technical and economic scale of certain infrastructure, such as this, makes a cooperation framework essential to tackle major projects”.
“The collection of bio-waste is one of the main challenges currently facing local authorities in Andalusia, within a European, national and regional regulatory context that is driving the transition towards a circular economy”, she emphasised. “This is the context for the PlanetA Plan”, she explained.
The main benefits of implementing this plan include: improving the efficiency of bio-waste transport; strengthening the infrastructure network for separate waste collection; reducing landfill disposal; increasing organic matter recovery; and enhancing the capacity of local authorities to meet their obligations.
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