Lanzarote’s fly-tipping problem

When César Manrique and his team first started converting the Jameos del Agua into a stunning space-age party venue, the main job he and his team faced was cleaning up the zone, which had become a rubbish tip.

Fly-tipping has always been a problem on Lanzarote, and that continues despite the existence of recycling centres (Puntos Limpios) on the island. In areas such as Montaña Mina, the surroundings of Tías and even parts of La Geria, it’s not uncommon to find rubble, old furniture, mattresses and other bulky waste that has been unceremoniously dumped in the rural landscape.

The problem isn’t confined to the countryside, either. Rubble and bulky waste in the towns is often left alongside rubbish containers, despite this being prohibited.

Scientist Alberto Ucero claims that at least 500 zones have been identified where building rubble is illegally left, and claims that the problem is “increasing”.

Illegal disposal of waste happens despite the existence of Puntos Limpios, which are free for all citizens to use to dispose of domestic waste. Councils also run a free collection service for bulky items of waste such as mattresses.

Businesses, meanwhile, have to dispose of waste at an RCD Centre (Residues of Construction and Demolition), which usually comes with a charge and may also involve skip hire costs. For this reason, businesses are among the worst culprits for fly-tipping.

But the penalties for the offence can be severe. Last year an Arrecife business that used one of its plots of land to dump rubbish was fined €30,000.

Meanwhile, Arrecife council recently announced it had installed cameras to try and catch and fine citizens who leave bulky rubbish items by the waste containers in the city and has detected over 40 incidents in a month.

These measures are in line with Ucero’s recommendations, which is that “the only solution is to increase vigilance and fines.” But everyone involved stresses that it also requires the help of citizens, too, either through observing civic responsibilities yourself, educating children in the importance of correct waste disposal, and reporting incidents.

Tías. Teguise, Yaiza and San Bartolomé all offer a mobile phone app called Línea Verde where citizens can report incidents of fly-tipping.