Cantabria and Saro sign agreement for the collection of municipal waste

The Official Gazette of Cantabria publishes this Thursday, September 3, 2026, the resolution providing for the publication of the agreement between the Administration of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria and the Saro City Council for the provision of municipal waste collection and transport services. The agreement, processed in section 7.5 (Miscellaneous) of issue number 170 of the gazette, guarantees a mandatory service that the municipality cannot provide on its own and which will be executed by the public company MARE.

The resolution, signed in Santander on August 26, 2026, by the general secretary of Development, Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment, Ana Belén Ruiz San Millán, bears the official reference CVE-2026-6831 and is published on page 42604 of the gazette.

A mandatory service that the municipality cannot assume

The agreement is based on Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, which obliges municipalities to provide waste collection in all cases, and on Law 7/2022, of April 8, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, which assigns the collection, transport, and treatment of domestic waste to the local entity as a mandatory service.

The Saro City Council lacks the necessary means to properly provide the service, therefore requesting the collaboration of the Government of Cantabria, within the framework of Law 8/1993, of November 18, of the Urban Waste Management Plan of Cantabria. The provision is entrusted to MARE (Medio Ambiente, Agua, Residuos y Energía de Cantabria, S.A., M.P.), a public commercial company attached to the Ministry and considered a personified own means and technical service of the regional Administration.

Signatories and validity of the agreement

The agreement is signed, on one hand, by Roberto Media Sainz, Minister of Development, Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment, representing the Government of Cantabria, authorized by agreement of the Governing Council on June 4, 2026. On the other hand, Miguel Ángel Prieto Fernández, mayor-president of Saro, empowered by plenary agreement on March 27, 2026.

• Initial duration of 4 years, extendable by unanimous agreement for up to 4 additional years.
• Entry into force once published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria and registration in the Regional Electronic Registry of Agreements within fifteen days.
• A Monitoring Commission is established with three representatives from each party.
• The competent jurisdiction in case of conflict is the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Cantabria.

Services included and cost of the service

Annex I of the agreement details the collection and transport services to which the municipality adheres, which will be provided in accordance with the technical and quality criteria of Annex II:

• Collection of the residual fraction and its transport to a transfer or final management plant.
• Separate collection of light packaging and paper-cardboard.
• Separate collection of bulky waste.
• Domestic composting.
• Separate collection of agricultural plastics (RPUA).
• Separate collection of textile waste.
• Separate collection of used cooking oil.

The total estimated cost of the services amounts to 23,330.66 euros (VAT included), which the city council will pay through the public prices set by the Government of Cantabria in accordance with Decree 86/2013, of December 26, and Order FOM/16/2025, of August 5. The collection of the residual fraction includes 42 collection points in the municipality, with 240 and 800-liter containers.

Relevance for residents

The agreement guarantees the continuity of an essential public hygiene and health service in Saro, a small municipality that, without its own means, would have seen its waste collection compromised. By entrusting the provision to MARE, residents maintain a quality service and selective separation, in line with the circular economy objectives of Law 7/2022, and the city council avoids administrative duplications and its own management costs.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 170, September 3, 2026, section 7.5 (Miscellaneous), page 42604 (official reference: CVE-2026-6831).