Landfills in Alicante Province to Receive DANA Waste from Valencia

Landfills in the province of Alicante will receive waste from municipalities that suffered the effects of the DANA that hit Valencia last October. The Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure, and Territory has activated the third and final phase of the Generalitat's Waste Plan with the aim of completely emptying the spaces set up to accommodate belongings and bulky items from the current deposits in the province of Valencia. Thus, "in the coming weeks," all waste from the designated points will be transferred to the landfills, as announced by the Minister of Environment, Infrastructure, and Territory, Vicente Martínez Mus.

This process has already begun with the removal of transfer points located in Catarroja and in the "most sensitive" areas, such as "points located near educational centres in Paiporta and industrial estates." The belongings from the Catarroja transfer point will be sent to its landfill in Villena and the vehicles to an Authorised Treatment Centre (CAT).

The second action will take place in Picassent, where belongings will be emptied to be transferred to its landfill in Xixona, while the vehicles will also be directed to an authorised CAT.

Finally, the closure of Manises will proceed, keeping the Hornillos point open, where an ordinary landfill is enabled. The one in Alfafar was the first to be emptied due to its proximity to the municipalities.

Martínez Mus highlighted that the aim is to "restore normality in the affected areas, which involves the gradual removal of belongings, bulky objects, and sludge, as well as the closure of treatment centres."

In this third phase, the minister specified, "specialised companies in the comprehensive waste management cycle will be involved, from collection, treatment, and final disposal in authorised landfills for proper treatment."

As this phase progresses, it is intended that municipal services - which operated through contracts for waste collection - will resume their usual operation in these towns, as they did before the flood.

During these 50 days of "intense" work, 400,000 tonnes of waste have been removed from the affected areas, representing a significant effort by the work teams.

The operation set up by the Ministry of Environment has managed to evacuate an average of 15,000 tonnes daily, which has cleared 767 obstructed roads, "thus improving mobility and safety in the affected areas." The waste management plan was configured with around thirty Local Collection Points (PAL) and five Transfer Points to landfills were activated, "ensuring the public health of the residents."