The draft law on waste and contaminated soils in four key points

The new regulation creates a tax on disposable plastics and waste disposal, as well as the National Inventory of Voluntary Soil Decontaminations.

The council of ministers has approved the draft law on waste and contaminated soils based on European guidelines that call for policies to promote the circular economy. This law will be taken to the courts for debate by the parliamentary groups.

The text regulates, among other things, the production and marketing of single-use plastic packaging, as well as the management of waste and contaminated soils, in order to contribute to sustainability and the protection of human health. The following is a summary of the highlights of the standard for the industrial sector.

  • Non-reusable plastics:

The objective is to reduce as much as possible the use of disposable plastic packaging, and to this end, its production and commercialization is limited and a tax of 0.45 euros per kilogram is created, which affects both manufacturing and importation. The idea is that all the agents involved in the commercialization of this type of products promote the use of reusable alternatives or other non-plastic materials.

  • Waste management:

Spain is at the bottom of Europe in terms of waste generation and disposal, for this reason the legal text aims to reduce this practice and bet on prevention, reuse and recycling. Waste disposal should be the last option for waste management, so it is decided to impose a tax on incineration, co-incineration and landfilling of waste.

In addition, waste deposited in landfills will also be required to be pre-treated.

  • Asbestos removal:

Asbestos is a hazardous material for human health, but it has been commonly used in the past in building construction. Now, the bill obliges municipalities to list all buildings containing asbestos and to schedule their removal plan before January 1, 2023.

  • Contaminated soils:

With regard to contaminated soils, the regulation maintains the classification of potentially polluting activities, the declaration of contaminated soil and its inventory and the responsibilities for remediation. The great novelty is the creation of the National Inventory of Voluntary Decontaminations, which will be fed by the autonomous communities and will include those sites that were not registered until now in the inventory of contaminated soils.

Jenny Nilsson, director and project coordinator of LITOCLEAN, explains everything you need to know about this bill in this video.