Municipalities in the Vega Baja region will face a bill of up to €31.7 million in 2026 to transport and dispose of 204,250 tonnes of household waste, an increase of €2.4 million on current budgets. That equates to about €151 per resident and will weigh on the current expenditure of 27 local councils. The shortfall has been caused by the absence of fixed treatment facilities in the region and the need to send waste to twelve different disposal plants across five provinces, adding transport and gate fees.

The lack of source‑separated organic recycling is compounding costs: the consortium expects only 500 tonnes of biowaste to be separated in 2026, roughly 0.2% of the total, far short of EU targets. Torrevieja and Orihuela are the largest producers. Torrevieja accounts for 25.7% of the volume and faces €8.15 million for burial and rejection tax, on top of about €25 million paid for collection contracts, committing roughly €33 million of its spending. Orihuela will pay about €7.41 million.

The Consorcio Vega Baja Sostenible notified councils of the forecasts between Thursday and Friday last week and plans to convene a board meeting in December to approve the figures and a proposed location for a new regional treatment plant. The consortium and contractor Prezero‑Cívica have been working on a plant for more than a year and a half and have proposed a site at Vistabella near Jacarilla; however, municipalities remain reluctant to host the facility close to their borders.