The General Directorate on Environmental Assessment and Quality (DGECA) is responsible for planning, managing, and controlling waste management and landfills in the Extremadura region of Spain. There are currently 9 non-hazardous waste landfills and 390 inert waste landfills in Extremadura. The DGECA has identified the former landfills of Plasencia and Mérida as the only ones that meet the requirements of Royal Decree 1481/2001, and have been properly closed and remediated through sealing, gas collection, and environmental restoration. Key stakeholders in redeveloping landfills include local municipalities, waste management consortia, and private developers.

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April 27 2010

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Background and Competences
The General Directorate on Environmental Assessment and
Quality is part of the Industry, Energy and Environment
Ministry of Extremadura Regional Government (South-
Western Spain).

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The DGECA, is the institution in charge of planning, managing
and controlling waste management at regional level in
Extremadura, to coordinate and control activities which may
affect air and soil quality, and devises strategies and
measures to tackle climate change. The water, is
responsibility from Hydrographic Basin of the Guadiana.
The DGECA is in charge of regulating and controlling waste and
landfill management in all Extremadura region.
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The General Directorate is the competent institution for waste
and landfills planning, control and monitoring at regional level
in Extremadura. It is fully in the position to elaborate
strategies and plans for examining and re-developing landfills
in the region. It is the institution that, according to European
Directives and national legislation, develops and enforces
regional policies in the field of waste planning and landfill
redevelopment.
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Competence Administrative Unit
Policy, legislation, guidance National and regional level
Implementation Autonomous regions (regional level)
Enforcement Autonomous regions (regional level)
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Landfills and Extremadura
1989 - First Master Plan for Solid Waste
1997 - Financed by the Cohesion Funds was undertaken an
ambitious Plan for the sealing of all illegal landfills used to
date.
2000 – Integrated Master Plan for Waste Management of the
Autonomous Community of Extremadura
2009 – Integrated Waste Plan of Extremadura
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The General Director chairs GESPESA, a public company
that manage the landfills and ECOPARQUES.
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Landfills current situation
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Hazardous waste
landfills
Non-hazardous
waste landfills
Inert waste
landfills
Total nº of existing
landfills
0 9 390 (Includes points of
illegal dumping and neglect
uncontrolled waste)
Total nº of landfills
that are in
accordance with
Royal Decree
1481/2001
5 2
Nº of closed landfills
(where are no
further discharges)
from july 16, 2001
2
Nº of existing
landfills that have
been conditioned to
comply with this
Royal Decree
2
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Identified Landfills
 Former Landfill of Plasencia
 Former landfill of Mérida
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Former Landfill Plasencia
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Former landfill Mérida
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Extremadura have two types of landfills:
1. Inert Landfills
2. Non-Hazardous Waste Landfills
The identified Landfills (Plasencia and Mérida) are the only ones
in the region that are closed according to the Royal Decree
1481/2001.(Transposition Directive (CE)31/1999)
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Landfill Sealing
• The final sealing of the whole landfill has been made, through
an extended 50cm thick selected granular material layer over
a high density polyethylene waterproofing layer protected by
two top and bottom geotextile membranes.
• The sealing was topped with 20cm of topsoil and planting
native species, meaning the environmental restoration of the
land.
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Landfill Degasification
• A system for gases collection has been built, consisting of a
manifold equipped with wells, distributed on the surface of
the landfill, leading them to a self-regulated torch, ensuring
the complete burning of toxins through its high flame
temperature and a high retention time.
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Stakeholders | Landfills redevelopment
Extremadura landfill redevelopment Stakeholders:
Local Administrations
Community in general
Waste management Consortia of Badajoz
Waste management Consortia of Cáceres
GESPESA
Project Developers
Private sector
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 Key stakeholders: Local Municipalities
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Next Steps
Giving a suitable solution for waste management in Extremadura is a
constant challenge in the regional environmental policy.
Waste is one of the most relevant environmental issues in every society
and therefore a priority action line of the General Directorate of
Environmental Quality and Evaluation is dedicated to increase the
efficiency of preventive actions and the use of different materials
contained in waste, ensuring environmental protection and human
health.
The Sufalnet4EU gives the regional government of Extremadura the
opportunity to go far on this purpose and plan the redevelopment of
some of this closed or abandoned landfills in the region.
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On behalf of the
General Directorate on Environmental Assessment and Quality
María Perez Fernández
General Director
E-mail:
dgeca.iema@juntaextremadura.net
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