Aragón allocates 9 million to improve urban waste recycling
The Government of Aragón will soon announce grants totaling 9 million euros aimed at local entities to finance infrastructure and services that enhance the management and recycling of municipal waste. The initiative, co-financed by the FEDER Aragón Program 2021-2027, seeks to advance towards a model of circular economy through source separation and high-quality recycling.
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Manuel Blasco, the Director General of Environmental Quality, María Martínez, and the Head of the Environmental Planning Service, Óscar Fayanás, presented these aids. The Director General explained that the goal is to improve the management of domestic waste and source separation, which is the responsibility of local entities, whose needs have been identified by the department. The funding is distributed with 60% coming from the Government of Aragón and 40% from European funds.
The announcement, which will be published in the Official Bulletin of Aragón in the coming days, establishes five eligible lines to improve the separate collection and treatment of organic waste, as well as the implementation or modernization of clean points:
Construction or improvement of composting plants: allocated 2 million euros for infrastructure to treat organic waste.
Equipment for composting without construction: has 1.8 million euros dedicated to equipping existing facilities.
Separate collection of organic waste: has 1.8 million euros to enhance systems for collecting domestic and commercial organic waste.
Construction or improvement of fixed clean points: assigns 2 million euros for permanent selective collection facilities.
Provision of mobile clean points or equipment: reserves 1.4 million euros for mobile collection units.
Beneficiaries and requirements
Eligible for these grants are municipalities, regions, waste management consortia, and equivalent public entities that operate in waste management. The grant may cover up to 75% of the total project cost, with a minimum grantable amount of 200,000 euros. The procedure will be processed entirely electronically through the Government of Aragón’s website, and the deadline for submitting applications will be one month from the official publication.
This initiative will enable Aragón to continue progressing towards meeting the objectives established by the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive, which sets the target that at least 55% of domestic waste must be recycled by 2025 and 60% by 2030. Current data on separate collection in the autonomous community highlight the need to strengthen local infrastructure, especially those intended for the collection and treatment of organic waste, one of the fractions with the greatest potential for improvement.
The call for grants also aims to support local entities in the implementation of the new Comprehensive Waste Management Plan for Aragón, Prevention and Circular Economy 2024-2030 (GIRAPEC), which is currently under environmental processing.
Before the official publication, the Directorate General of Environmental Quality has initiated a comprehensive information process aimed at local entities. A first session has already been held with municipal secretaries in the Virtual Classroom of the Directorate General of Local Administration. Additionally, its presentation is scheduled before the Environment Commission of the FAMCP on October 21 and in the Commission of Municipalities with more than 8,000 inhabitants on October 29. A joint event will also be held with the Directorate General of Financing and European Funds to explain the content of the call in detail and address any questions regarding the procedure.
