Torrevieja council has approved a motion, supported by PP, VOX and Sueña Torrevieja and opposed by the Socialist group, that asks the Spanish Government and the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to urgently amend Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil. The motion argues the law obliges municipalities to pass one hundred per cent of collection and treatment costs on to residents, regardless of local budgets. Councillors pointed to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, which has demanded reform, and warned that many councils are raising charges by between 25% and 40% or using unrelated criteria such as property tax or water use to calculate fees.

Councillor Domingo Paredes has highlighted an alert from the Association of Local Tax Inspectors that shows, even with the mandatory charge, municipalities are covering on average only 65.5% of the true service cost. He said the law’s environmental bonifications are impractical without large, unfunded investments and warned of higher rents and heavier bills for shops, restaurants and vulnerable households. Paredes stressed that Torrevieja has absorbed around 60% of its waste costs, more than €20 million a year between 2024 and 2025, without increasing local rates.

The motion asks the national Government and the Ministry to remove the obligation to pass one hundred per cent of costs to residents, restore municipal autonomy, permit mixed financing models, introduce real recycling incentives and social discounts, and create state and regional funding to meet European targets. It also calls for a co‑financed National Infrastructure Plan for the circular economy and for the agreement to be sent to the Government, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. Paredes concluded that Torrevieja will continue to defend low taxes and municipal autonomy to protect families.