The waste management market - Spain (2024)

1.2 The global market

Global production:

The World Bank's **** What a waste *. * report highlights the problems associated with waste management on a global scale. Ocean pollution, poor regions submerged in litter, many are the problems caused by poor waste management. This World Bank report is still the latest update of the World Bank's figures on waste emissions.

Share of waste production and population World, ****, in percent Source: ****

We can see here that *.** billion tonnes of waste were produced worldwide in ****, with East Asia Pacific being the region producing the most waste at *** million tonnes of waste (***). North America, Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa are the regions polluting proportionally more than their population.

Inhabitant waste production World, ****, in thousands of tons per capita Source: ****

We identify * groups of waste producers in ****:

North Americans produced by far the most waste, with *** kilograms of waste produced per capita. Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa produced an average of *** kilos of waste per inhabitant. South Asia, East Asia/Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa produced an average of *** kilos of waste per capita.

Current and projected waste production World, ****-****, in billions of tons Source: ...

1.3 The domestic market

Between **** and ****, total sales of waste management activities in Spain grew significantly, from **.** to **.** million euros, an increase of **.**%. Within this growth, different trends can be observed according to the sub-segments of this activity. Waste collection grew by **.**%, from *.** to *.** million euros. However, waste treatment and disposal recorded a slight decline of *.**% over the period, from *.** to *.** million euros. By contrast, waste recovery saw spectacular growth of **.**%, from *.** to *.** million euros, reflecting increased interest in sustainable waste management practices. This reflects a growing interest in sustainable waste management practices, with a shift from waste treatment and disposal to recycling and reuse, in line with Spain's commitment to sustainable development.

Evolution of waste collection, management and treatment sales in Spain Spain, ****-****, billions of euros Source: ****

In ****, waste incineration and landfilling accounted for **.**% of sales in the waste management sector. Recycling accounted for **.**%.

Share of sales by waste management activity in **** Spain, ****, % Source: ****

While waste collection represented a stable share of the sector's sales in **** (***).

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Between **** and ****, Spain's waste collection figures show contrasting trends between normal and hazardous waste. Normal waste decreased by **.**% over the period, from ***.** to ***.** million tonnes. By contrast, the quantity of hazardous waste rose slightly by *.**%, from ...

2.1 Waste production by type and sector

In **** in Spain, minerals accounted for the largest share of waste types, at **.**%, closely followed by mixed waste at **.**%. Animal and vegetable waste accounted for *.**%, while metal waste and paper/cardboard represented *.**% and *.**% respectively. Chemicals and equipment contributed *.**% and *.**% respectively, while glass and wood accounted for around *.**% and *.**% of the total. Plastics and ordinary sludge had slightly lower shares, at *.**% and *.**% respectively. Finally, other types of waste, grouped in an "other" category, totalled *.**% of the overall breakdown.

Waste generated in Spain by type Spain, ****, Thousands of tons Source: ****

The period ****-**** will see significant changes in waste generation by economic sector in Spain:

The construction sector saw its waste production increase by *.**% between **** and ****. The industrial sector has reduced its waste emissions by **.**% over the same period. The agriculture sector saw an increase of *.**%. The service sector saw a decrease of **.**%. The domestic sector saw an increase of **.**%.

Waste production by economic sector Spain, ****-****, Millions of tons Source: ****

The evolution of recycled waste in Spain between **** and **** reveals a fluctuating but overall positive trend. In ****, recycling stood at **.** million tonnes, then fell slightly in **** to **.** million tonnes. However, a clear upturn occurred in **** with a significant increase to **.** million tonnes, ...

2.2 Macro-economic data

An article in RETEMA explains that by ****, Spain had failed to meet its recycling target of **% of waste. It also only reduced the amount of municipal waste produced by *.*%, compared with its target of **%. For the coming years, Spain has set itself the following European recycling targets:

**% by **** **% by **** **% by ****

Despite these commitments, waste production is directly linked to the economic and demographic context. As far as the economy is concerned, the Spanish economy is recovering well from the covid crisis. The years **** and **** saw growth rates of *.*% and *% respectively. **** was also a good year for Spain, with growth of *.*%, and forecasts for **** point to growth of around *.*%. This economic growth will have a positive influence on the waste management market, as it indicates more production.

Growth forecasts for the Spanish economy. Spain, ****-****, % of GDP Source: ****

Spain's demographic growth reflects an aging population. While the population is set to increase by *.**% between **** and ****,INE statistics forecast the birth of *.* million children between **** and ****, i.e. **.*% fewer than between **** and ****.

Spanish population growth forecast Spain, ****-****, millions of people Source: ****

2.3 Request for waste treatment

Landfilled waste:

Between **** and ****, the percentages of waste sent to landfill in Spain underwent various evolutions in each category. For chemical waste, despite fluctuations from year to year, a general downward trend was observed, from **.*% in **** to **.*% in ****. Mixed waste showed a relatively stable trend, with a slight increase in **** to **.*%, although it experienced intermediate variations over the years. Common sludge, on the other hand, followed a steady downward trend, falling from **.*% in **** to just *.*% in ****. Mineral waste also showed a downward trend, with a notable decrease from **.*% in **** to **.*% in ****. Finally, for the"Other" category, despite some variations, the percentage of waste sent to landfill has remained relatively stable, rising from **.*% in **** to **.*% in ****.

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As regards waste that is traditionally recycled, we can also see that the percentages of such waste sent to landfill in Spain have undergone varying evolutions. Metal waste has shown a fluctuating trend, witha notable increase in **** before returning to *.*% in ****. Glass has also seen significant variations, peaking in **** before gradually decreasing to stabilize at *.*% in ****. Paper and cardboard maintained a constant percentage of *. *% throughout the period. Plastics showed an upward trend, reaching **.*% in **** and maintaining this level in ****. Wood showed a marked fluctuation, reaching ...

2.4 Demand for recovered waste

Spain, participating in the European objective of achieving a **% share of recycled municipal waste by **** and only **% of waste sent to landfill by ****, is encouraging the introduction of recycling. While this target may not be reached by ****(***), since **** we have seen an acceleration in waste recovery in Spain. Indeed, between **** and ****, the proportion of waste sent to landfill fell from **% to **%, representing a *-point reduction. The amount of waste recycled has risen from **% to **%, representing an increase of ** points.

Share of recycled waste in Spain Spain, ****-****, % of waste recycled Source: ****

Concerning recycling in detail, for metal waste, the quantity recycled varied from *.** million tonnes in **** to **.** million tonnes in ****, representing an increase of **.**% . for glass, the quantity recycled rose from *.** million tonnes in **** to *.** million tonnes in ****, an increase of **.**%. For paper and cardboard, the quantity recycled increased from *.** million tonnes in **** to *.** million tonnes in ****, showing an increase of **.**% . Finally, for plastics, the quantity recycled has oscillated from *.** million tonnes in **** to *.** million tonnes in ****.

Evolution of recycled waste by type of waste Spain, ****-****, million tonnes Source: ****

3.1 Waste classification

Waste is defined at European level as "any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard", and therefore has legal status.

There are various ways of classifying waste:

Sorting according to waste origin:

Waste can also be classified according to its origin:

Household waste, according to article *.at of law */****, is hazardous or non-hazardous waste generated by households as part of their domestic activities. Household waste is also considered to be waste of similar composition and quantity generated in services and industries, provided that it does not come from the main activity of these services or industries. This category includes waste such as used cooking oil, electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, batteries, accumulators, furniture, household goods and mattresses, as well as waste and rubble from small-scale construction and repair work at home. In addition, waste generated by the cleaning of public roads, green spaces, recreational areas and beaches, dead pets and abandoned vehicles are also considered household waste. On theother hand, commercial waste, according to article *.aq of law */****, is waste generated by wholesale and retail trade, catering services and bars, offices, markets and other commercial services. Agricultural and forestry waste, in accordance with article ...

3.2 Waste collection

TheINE defines several CNAE codes corresponding to the different economic activities present in Spain. Here, we will concentrate on the CNAE codes:

CNAE code ***: Activities related to waste collection. CNAE code ***: Waste treatment activities (***) CNAE code *** : Activities related to waste recovery (***).

Between **** and ****, sales of waste collection activities in Spain increased overall, with variations in each category. Total waste collection sales rose from *.** to *.** billion euros, representing an overall increase of **.**%. In the non-hazardous waste category, sales rose by **.**% over the period, from *.** to *.** billion euros. Likewise, hazardous waste saw a slight increase of *.**% over the same period, from *.*** to *.*** billion euros.

Sales trends for Spanish companies with CNAE code: *** Spain, ****-****, billions of euros Source: ****

Between **** and ****, the number of employees in waste collection activities in Spain fluctuated in both categories. The total number of employees in waste collection rose from **.* thousand in **** to ** thousand in ****, representing a slight increase of *.**%. In the non-hazardous waste category, the number of employees also rose by *.**% over the period, from ** thousand in **** to **.* thousand in ****. By contrast, the hazardous waste category recorded a more pronounced decrease of **% over the same period, from *.* thousand in **** to *.* thousand in ****.

Trend in the number of players ...

3.3 Waste treatment, recovery and disposal

Between **** and ****, there are significant variations in sales in the waste treatment and disposal (***) sectors. For the waste treatment and disposal sector, sales have fallen from *.** billion euros in **** to *.** billion euros in ****, representinga decrease of *.**% over the period studied. By contrast, in the waste recovery sector, sales rose from *.** billion euros in **** to *.** billion euros in ****, reflecting a notable increase of **.**% over the period analyzed.

Sales trends for CNAE codes: *** and *** Spain, ****-****, billions of euros Source: ****

Between **** and ****, the data show distinct trends in the number of employees in the waste treatment and disposal (***) sectors. For thewaste treatment and disposal sector,the number of employees has risen from **.* thousand in **** to **.* thousand in ****, representing a decrease of *.**% . By contrast, in the waste recovery sector, the number of employees has risen from *.* thousand in **** to **.* thousand in ****, reflecting a **.**% increase over the period studied.

Number of employees in CNAE codes: *** and *** Spain, ****-****, number of employees in thousands Source: ****

In the waste treatment and disposal sector, the number of companies rose from *** in **** to *** in ****, representing an increase of **.**%. On the other hand, inthe waste recovery sector, the number of companies has risen slightly, from *** in **** to *** in ****, an increase ...

4.1 Offer typology

The table below shows the services offered for waste management companies:

4.2 Increased spending by households, industry and public authorities

the average cost to Spanish households of managing their waste has risen steadily in recent years. Between **** and ****, this cost rose from **.* euros per household to **.* euros, an increase of *%.

Evolution of average waste management costs for Spanish households Spain, ****-****, euros/household/month Source: ****

For industrial companies, there has also been a steady increase in waste management expenditure in this sector. While spending in this sector rose by **.**% between **** and ****, there was a greater increase in spending between **** and ****, with a **.**% rise between the two years. Similarly, a **.**% increase in expenditure is notable between **** and ****, an increase due to the covid ** pandemic.

Industry spending on waste management Spain, ****-****, millions of euros Source : EP Data Finally, the share of government spending on waste management is gradually increasing. While in **** it already accounted for **.*% of the environment budget of local authorities, this share is set to rise steadily to **.*% by ****. Comparison between **** and **** of % environmental expenditure by sector Spain, ****-****, % Source: ****

4.3 The Valorisation offer

Waste recovery is a process defined by Directive ****/**/EC on waste, which consists of :

Using waste to fulfil a specific function, replacing other materials that would otherwise have been used. Preparing waste so that it can fulfill a specific function, whether in a facility or in the economy in general.

The recovery process depends on the composition of the waste, requiring different methods for organic and inorganic waste, for example. In addition, specific collection and transportation protocols must be followed when managing hazardous waste.

There are two types of waste recovery, depending on the class of waste and its composition:

Energy recovery :

This type of recovery involves converting waste that cannot be recycled into energy for domestic or industrial use. This energy is obtained through a series of thermochemical processes, such as combustion, gasification or pyrolysis, which subject biomass to high temperatures. Biochemical processes, such as alcoholic fermentation or anaerobic digestion by micro-organisms, can also be used. Energy recovery enables the production of electricity, biogas, biomethane, hydrocarbons, etc.

Recovery of solid materials:

In this case, recovery involves the production of new materials, or the recycling of some of them, in order to reduce the use of new raw materials. This type ...

5.1 Regulations

The law of */****, de * de abril defines the general provisions for waste treatment in Spain.

Waste classification:

Waste is classified according to a harmonized European list, regulated by Commission Decision ****/***/EC. This list is divided into ** chapters which classify waste according to its origin or nature. Each waste is identified by a six-digit code, known as the LER code, which may be accompanied by an asterisk if it is hazardous.

Obligations of waste producers:

Treat the waste themselves; To entrust treatment to a registered dealer, entity or company; Or to hand over waste to a public or private entity responsible for its collection for treatment. These operations must be documented. Provide companies authorized to manage waste with the information they need to process and dispose of it; Provide local authorities with information on the waste they deliver when it has special characteristics likely to interfere with transport, collection, recovery or disposal; Immediately inform the competent environmental authority in the event of disappearance, loss or leakage of hazardous waste or waste which, by its nature or quantity, could harm the environment.

With regard to the storage, mixing and labeling of waste at the place of production, the waste producer is required ...

6.1 Positioning

The table below shows the companies with the highest sales by waste management activity in Spain.

• FCC MEDIO AMBIENTE SAU
• URBASER SOCIEDAD ANONIMA UNIPERSONAL
• PREZERO ESPAÑA SA.
• LIMPIEZA DE MALAGA SOCIEDAD ANONIMA MUNICIPAL.
• DESGUACES LA CABAÑA SL
• ECOACTIVA DE MEDIO AMBIENTE SA
• SOCIEDADE GALEGA DO MEDIOAMBIENTE SA
• TIRME SA