Waste incineration and clean air in Andalusia

7.6.2018

Question for written answer E-003107-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
Estefanía Torres Martínez (GUE/NGL) , Miguel Urbán Crespo (GUE/NGL) , Tania González Peñas (GUE/NGL) , Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL) , Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL) , Florent Marcellesi (Verts/ALE) , Xabier Benito Ziluaga (GUE/NGL) , Marina Albiol Guzmán (GUE/NGL) , Ana Miranda (Verts/ALE) , Josep-Maria Terricabras (Verts/ALE) , Jordi Solé (Verts/ALE) , Javier Couso Permuy (GUE/NGL)

In opting to use cement plants for waste incineration, the Regional Government of Andalusia is continuing down a linear economic path, with serious health and environmental consequences

In 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against Spain for breaching Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste in around thirty municipal landfill sites. The Andalusian Environment Department has failed to introduce a specific set of penalties and deterrents to discourage landfilling, as required.

What measures does the Commission believe have been taken to recover costs as set out in Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, to reach the objective of zero waste, and to introduce a waste elimination tax?

Does it plan to revoke environmental permits that allow waste to be incinerated at sites that have been declared illegal, review existing permits in order to ensure that incineration is subject to modern technological and measuring standards, and ensure the public is kept informed?

What measures are being considered in order to ensure that incinerators are kept away from urban centres and that the circular economy commitments contained in Andalusia’s forthcoming Integrated Waste Plan are honoured?