Recycling building waste in Spain

I’ve never done any building work, and I’m barely capable of even the most basic of DIY tasks. Putting up a shelf  is perhaps my limit. Though we do often talk about buying up a renovation project (usually following a viewing of Grand Designs) as so many expats do.

Out here in the campo we pass many such renovations and some days it seems that 50% or more of the working expat population are builders. Unfortunately so much work results in a small percentage of morons fly-tipping. It’s not uncommon to pass piles of building rubble on the local ramblas (dried up river beds).

Obviously fly-tipping is illegal here as it is in the UK, but were you aware of the penalties? Apparently, I learned during a visit to a quarry and recycling centre near Antas this week, you can be fined anything from €3,000 to €600,000. I was also told that Seprona (Guardia Civil) are clamping down. Building rubble has to be disposed of via licensed recycling facilities in line with European law.

Something else I suspect a lot of expats may not be aware of, is that the owner of the waste is ultimately responsible for its disposal. Lets say, you’ve registered your project at the Ayuntamiento, and you have a builder who tips your waste on a rambla or anywhere else in the campo. You could find Seprona knocking on your door and both you and the builder will be fined! Don’t think it’s just a matter of them actually being caught red handed and being traced back. Seprona have access to the records of licensed recycling centres and can match the waste to registered projects, it’s simply a case of cross referencing records of the centres against those held at the Ayuntamiento. So, if you have a project that has created waste and that waste isn’t received in line with legal obligations YOU are liable.

If you’re employing a builder or someone else to remove your building waste make sure you obtain a copy of the certificate issued by the recycling centre to ensure it has been disposed of correctly. If you are doing it yourself – use a properly licensed recycling facility. There are no excuses, and the cost is negligible (as little as €4 per tonne).

One further word of warning – if I personally see you fly-tipping I ‘shop you’ without a care. It’s a pet hate of mine…

Thank you to Carmen from Aridos Mojacar SL quarry and recycling centre in Antas (Almeria) for the information.

Alan Gandy

Alan, along with Elle, is the owner of Spain Buddy. He was born in the North of England (Lancashire) and travelled extensively before eventually settling in Almería. Alan has 3 sons from the first of his 18 marriages, (Sam, Joe & Ben) who are all now adults. You can read more articles by Alan on his personal blog at AlanGandy.com and see more of his photography on his photography website as well as on Instagram.