AIReF | Observatory of Findings and Proposals for Evaluation

Published:02/02/2026

Municipal waste management (Show)

Findings - Proposals

Spain has failed to meet several targets set by the European Union for 2020.

Establishment of a national performance monitoring mechanism

Creation of an observatory of best practices

The distribution of indicators varies significantly between autonomous communities.

Establishment of a national performance monitoring mechanism

Creation of an observatory of best practices

Spain is at risk, exacerbated by methodological changes, of failing to meet its targets in the following time frames, and has already received an early warning from the European Commission in June 2023.

Establishment of a national performance monitoring mechanism

Creation of an observatory of best practices

Existing information on waste management is scarce and of poor quality.

Frequent analyses to characterise the composition of waste

Public access to source data and methodologies applied

Creation of an integrated waste management information system

The degree of transparency in waste management performance has limitations.

Public access to source data and methodologies applied

The report on municipal waste collection data contains gaps and discrepancies, showing considerable heterogeneity and indicating insufficient staffing and/or training in this area.

Creation of an integrated waste management information system

Training and specialisation of public workers involved in municipal waste management

The reporting of cost information by local authorities is confusing and misleading.

Adjustment of local authorities’ budget items and programmes related to waste management

Coding of transfers between local authorities in specific waste programmes

Allocation of amounts collected through financing instruments for collection and treatment services to their corresponding accounts

Spain has exceeded the transposition deadlines established in the European Union’s waste directives.

There are no associated proposals.

Less than half of the autonomous communities had their own waste legislation during the period evaluated (2010-2019), leaving local authorities without waste management regulations to apply.

Determination of the applicable standard for municipalities without ordinances in autonomous communities without their own waste legislation

Only 45% of strategic documents include sections with information on funding and budgetary resources for the planned measures.

Quantification of necessary expenditure and income in strategic documents

The difficulty in achieving the objectives does not lie in a lack of clear guidelines in the regulations and strategies.

There are no associated proposals.

The mandatory separate collection of new waste fractions established in Law 7/2022 will be a new challenge for the autonomous communities.

There are no associated proposals.

The autonomous communities that established mandatory separate collection of organic waste prior to the state regulations show better results in separate collection.

Effective obligation to separately collect organic waste

Not enough importance has been given to waste prevention, especially the prevention of food waste.

Investment geared towards compliance with the waste hierarchy

The existence of obligations to pre-treat waste prior to landfill contributes to the achievement of recycling targets.

Consistency between pre-treatment obligations and the existence of sufficient capacity

Only three autonomous communities regulated waste traceability in their regulations on waste managers in 2019.

Mechanisms for monitoring the recycling process of certain materials

The maximum percentages of inappropriate materials in separately collected biowaste established in Law 7/2022 are not sufficient to meet the minimum quality standards for compost production established by MITERD.

Progressive reduction of maximum percentages of unsuitable candidates

Creation of a state quality seal for compost

The MITERD has not imposed any sanctions on the autonomous communities for non-compliance in municipal waste management.

Effective application of control, inspection and sanction mechanisms

Between 2010 and 2019, the autonomous communities made limited use of the penalty system.

Effective application of control, inspection and sanction mechanisms

Only 10% of local authorities have approved prevention programmes and/or waste management plans.

Support for local authorities in drafting waste prevention and management programmes and plans

The wording and content of waste management regulations do not facilitate the deployment of municipal services, and it has even been shown that their implementation does not have a significant impact on separate collection.

Mechanism for coordinating and supporting municipal waste management

Adoption or updating of regulatory ordinances

There is no evidence that the current distribution of powers hinders the achievement of regulatory objectives, although cooperation should be strengthened.

Coordination mechanisms between different public administrations

Municipal monitoring mechanisms in joint management

Insufficient allocation of resources to urban waste management and lack of staff specialisation

Allocation of resources for specialised personnel at municipal level

Spain has one of the most concentrated waste markets in Europe.

Ensuring competition in the waste management market

The scarcity and quality of recovered and recycled materials influence competition and economic conditions in the market.

Reduction of inappropriate waste through improvements in collection systems and sorting plants

Establishment of economic instruments to promote more competitive prices for recycled materials

Implementation of efficient collection systems and setting of targets for the incorporation of recycled materials.

Promoting preparation for reuse by special employment centres and integration companies through reserved contracts is not sufficient on its own.

Ensure compliance with the contract reserved for special employment centres and integration companies.

Public administrations did not make sufficient use of green public procurement to promote waste reduction between 2010 and 2019.

Technical quality of tender documents for waste collection services

The tendering processes for services place constraints on administrations due to their duration, the difficulty of monitoring them, the appeals lodged and the asymmetry in specialisation between municipal technicians and companies.

Reallocation of municipal resources

The Administration has not exercised sufficient control and monitoring of SCRAP activities.

Supervision and control by the Public Administration of SCRAP activities

SCRAPs have greater resources and information at their disposal than local authorities and, in some cases, higher levels of government.

Improvement of information and technical capacity of public administrations in negotiations with SCRAPs

There is no competition between SCRAPs for certain fractions.

Supervision and control by the Public Administration of SCRAP activities

The fees applied by SCRAPs operating in the period 2010-2019 have not promoted eco-design of products by producers.

Extension of waste streams subject to extended producer responsibility and definition of minimum eco-modulation criteria

SDDRs are one of the most effective tools for waste management, but they have not been implemented in Spain.

Implementation of pilot programmes for deposit, return and refund systems (SDDR)

Landfill taxes are an effective instrument that was only implemented in four autonomous communities in 2019.

Anticipation of the path of tax rates on waste disposal

The content of the reports justifying the fees is not defined in any legal text.

Methodological guide for preparing economic reports for setting rates

Municipalities that apply an environmental rebate to domestic waste collection fees show higher overall separate collection rates.

Promote pay-as-you-go systems and bonuses

Payment per generation is a highly effective system for meeting regulatory objectives, but it has only been implemented in less than 1% of Spanish municipalities.

Promote pay-as-you-go systems and bonuses

Deficit in the application of the waste hierarchy in terms of public investment

Investment geared towards compliance with the waste hierarchy

The implementation of the door-to-door collection system has a significant positive effect on several waste management indicators.

Promotion of the door-to-door collection system

Implementation of efficient collection systems and setting of targets for the incorporation of recycled materials.

Smart bins equipped with locking systems and user identification can help improve waste indicators.

Implementation of efficient collection systems and setting of targets for the incorporation of recycled materials.

There are no uniform criteria for regulating recycling centres, and a significant portion of the Spanish population still does not have access to them or know what types of waste can be brought there.

Provision of recycling centres and promotion of their use

Preparation of a technical guide for the management of recycling centres

With domestic and community composting, the economic and environmental costs associated with organic waste management systems can be reduced.

Creation of a state quality seal for compost

Measures to support citizens in the separate collection of organic waste

A high percentage of the Spanish population lacks access to communication channels, and waste campaigns have little or no impact on most of those who receive them.

Establishment of local service points for waste management

Designing awareness campaigns with a strategic approach

There are differences when comparing Spaniards’ personal assessment of their own waste separation, their perceived level of knowledge about waste separation, and actual levels of separate collection.

Establishment of local service points for waste management