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ARCHIVED - Mounds of trash stranded on Gibraltar because of Brexit
Gibraltar has been unable to dispose of its landfill waste in Spain since the beginning of the year, but the Spanish government has finally allowed the Rock to use its waste disposal facilities again
As a result of Brexit, thousands of tonnes of rubbish that used to be disposed of in Spain have accumulated on the Rock of Gibraltar this year. Now, Spain and Gibraltar have finally reached a deal to allow waste from the British Overseas Territory to be buried in an Andalusian landfill.
Before Brexit, an agreement with the Commonwealth of Municipalities of Campo de Gibraltar had allowed Gibraltar to dispose of its municipal solid waste in the Southern Europe Environmental Complex, located in the municipality of Los Barrios in Cádiz, Andalucía.
This arrangement lasted successfully for decades, with Gibraltar sending 30,000 tons of rubbish to the Los Barrios landfill every year. But since the beginning of 2022 piles of trash have had to be stored on the Rock because the UK’s exit from the European Union has meant the waste could not be brought across the border.
See also: Gibraltar retaliates after lorry drivers told they will need a permit to enter Spain from March 1
The Government of Gibraltar has been forced to use crushing machinery to compact the waste in order to make more space and to try and prevent it falling in the sea and causing an environmental disaster.
However, this solution has been provisional, as has the authorisation of the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, necessary for the transfer of the 6,000 tonnes of MSW, which was already beginning to be packed last week.
Now, though, the Government of Spain has given the green light to permits for the transport and disposal of garbage in the Southern Europe Environmental Complex once again, and Gibraltar will have to make up for the backlog and clear over two months’ worth of trash.
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