The absence of dedicated waste treatment infrastructure in the Vega Baja has led the Vega Baja Sostenible Consortium to divert thousands of tons of waste to plants located hundreds of kilometers away, specifically in Cuenca and Almería. This situation significantly increases the cost of the service and raises growing concerns among local councils about a difficult-to-assume economic impact.
According to presidential decrees from the consortium, the adopted solution involves transporting mixed municipal waste outside the Valencian Community due to the “lack of treatment facilities” in the management area. This circumstance limits operational capacity and forces the redistribution of waste flows to external receiving plants.
The cost of treatment and disposal at the Reciclados del Marquesado plant, in Almonacid del Marquesado (Cuenca), amounts to 104.05 euros per ton, excluding VAT and the state landfill tax. Added to this is a transport cost of 73.70 euros per ton, due to the nearly 700-kilometer round trip distance. In total, the price significantly exceeds 170 euros per ton before taxes.
Meanwhile, transportation to the Almanzora-Levante-Vélez Consortium plant, in Albox (Almería), shows slightly lower but still high figures. Treatment stands at 67.10 euros per ton, while transport reaches 40.90 euros per ton. Overall, the cost is around 108 euros per ton, also excluding the state disposal tax and VAT.
These figures reflect a significant increase compared to the usual waste management costs at nearby facilities, exacerbated by the impact of long-distance transport. Furthermore, prices are subject to periodic revisions based on cost evolution and the IPC, which introduces even more uncertainty into the economic planning of municipalities.
“"The subsidy will help, but it only covers a portion of the high transport costs. The solution lies in building a treatment plant in the region to avoid sending waste to increasingly distant destinations."
The Alicante Provincial Council has activated a line of subsidies aimed at the 27 municipalities of the Vega Baja Sostenible Consortium to partially alleviate the additional costs derived from transporting waste outside the region. The provincial institution has allocated a budget of 162,200 euros exclusively to cover transport, one of the main economic burdens faced by local councils.
According to consortium data, the transfer of waste to external treatment plants —excluding treatment costs— exceeded 3.19 million euros in just ten months, between November 2024 and September 2025. Meanwhile, the entity continues to advance in the project for a mechanical-biological treatment plant, a facility that would allow waste to be managed at its origin and reduce both economic costs and the environmental impact of long-distance transport.
