The works include the installation of a separate feed line to the biological composting treatment module for separately collected bio-waste.
The complementary works have a total investment of 5.502.719 euros, financed by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and the Next Generation funds of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The Gran Canaria Island Council has completed complementary works at the Gran Canaria Sur Ecopark, improving the treatment capacity for separately collected biowaste (organic waste). This action reinforces the island institution's commitment to sustainability and the circular economy, aligning us with the objectives set out in national regulations.
The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, accompanied by the Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government, Mariano Zapata; the mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez; and the Minister for Environment, Climate, Energy, and Knowledge of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Raúl García Brink; today visited the works carried out at the Gran Canaria Sur Ecopark to comply with Law 7/2022, which requires the separate collection of biowaste. These works are part of the general project to improve the island's waste treatment system, which has required a significant effort by the island institution to adapt its infrastructure.
Morales emphasized that this initiative "not only reflects compliance with a legal obligation, but also a firm strategic commitment to a new waste management model: modern, circular, and sustainable." He added that "the Gran Canaria Sur Ecopark is already an essential part of Gran Canaria's present, but above all, of its future as an Ecoisland."
For his part, the Regional Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government, Mariano H. Zapata, highlighted the Regional Ministry's significant investment through the Next Generation funds, amounting to over one million euros. In the Regional Minister's words, "the completion of the South Ecopark project is excellent news that will allow the island of Gran Canaria to significantly improve its waste management and continue making progress in environmental stewardship and establishing a truly circular economy, which is a priority for this Regional Ministry."
The mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, expressed his gratitude for the financial effort and noted that "technology is giving us the ability to add value to waste, allowing it to ultimately have an economic component that allows us to market it and, therefore, generate an economic flow. If we combine this with the work of public administrations to remind us that waste management is the responsibility of citizens, we can say that we are succeeding in establishing a circular economy on the island of Gran Canaria."
For his part, García Brink pointed out that ecoparks are destined to evolve and become innovative areas from an environmental, economic, and technological perspective. "Therefore, the Island Council has focused its efforts on these facilities, investing a total of €43.677.180 in the Gran Canaria South Ecopark and €51.976.224,93 in the Gran Canaria North Ecopark between 2013 and 2025."
The project includes the installation of a new biological treatment line for separately collected biowaste, incorporating advanced pretreatment technologies such as automatic bag opening, magnetic separation to recover ferrous materials, and a rotating trommel to remove unsuitable waste. This line feeds the existing biological reactor, improving the traceability and efficiency of the composting process.
This infrastructure will increase the treatment capacity for separately collected biowaste, increasing from the current 8.000 tons per year to approximately 29.242 tons per year, according to estimates by the City Council.
In addition, a dedicated line for the collection and sorting of lightweight waste has been added, with a special focus on low-density plastics. This improvement reinforces the island's commitment to the circular economy by maximizing the recovery of recyclable materials and minimizing the environmental impact in an area sensitive to the dispersion of lightweight materials due to wind.
The project to install a new treatment line for separately collected biowaste has a total budget of €1.093.398,92 and is subsidized through Next Generation EU funds from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy, within the framework of the Canary Islands Government's Call for Subsidies for the Implementation of Waste Regulations.
Furthermore, in compliance with the contract terms, the contractor has provided the government with a cost-free upgrade to the light-recovery system, amounting to €1.080.001.65 in material execution, while the remainder of the work has been financed with the Gran Canaria Island Council's own funds.