Colmenar Viejo definitively approves its Municipal Environmental Ordinance

The Plenary of the Colmenar Viejo City Council has definitively approved the Municipal Environmental Ordinance, the full text of which is published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid number 202, dated August 25, 2026. The regulation, which governs the cleaning of public and private spaces, the collection and management of domestic waste, and the organization of the Dehesa de Navalvillar, enters into force as provided for in article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime.

The proceedings began with the initial approval agreed upon by the Plenary in the ordinary session of May 29, 2025. After being subject to public consultation for thirty days, with an announcement published in the BOCM number 187, dated July 15, 2025, allegations were submitted in a timely and proper manner, which were admitted for processing and resolved by the Plenary, which approved the final wording on July 30, 2026.

A regulatory framework for circular economy

The ordinance is framed within state and regional waste legislation, particularly Law 7/2022, of April 8, on Waste and Contaminated Soils for a Circular Economy, and its development by Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste. At the regional level, it is supported by Law 1/2024, of April 17, on the Circular Economy of the Community of Madrid.

The text incorporates the principles of sustainable development, prevention, precaution, correction of damage at its source, the polluter pays principle, access to information, and circular economy. The Colmenar Viejo City Council assumes competence over the cleaning of roads and public spaces and the management of domestic waste, and may take charge of non-hazardous commercial waste under the terms of Law 7/2022.

Protection of natural heritage

The municipal district has 31% of its surface area within the Manzanares Upper Basin Regional Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1992 and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in 2014. The regulation governs the fencing of rural plots, which must respect the movement of wildlife in accordance with Law 42/2007, of December 13, on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity.

It also organizes the use of the Dehesa de Navalvillar, whose first Use and Management Plan dates back to 1996 and is now being updated to make priority livestock use compatible with the recreational and leisure enjoyment of the residents.

Surveillance and sanctioning regime

The ordinance grants the status of authority agents to the Local Police and municipal inspection and surveillance services, and provides for an electronic mailbox and a telephone line so that citizens can report conduct contrary to the regulation. Title V regulates the sanctioning power, with minor, serious, and very serious infractions, which include behaviors such as the dumping of construction and demolition waste in unauthorized locations, the abandonment of animal carcasses, or the destruction of dry stone walls on rural estates.

Entry into force will occur under the terms of Article 49 of Law 7/1985, following the publication of the full text in the official bulletin and on the City Council’s notice board. The regulation affects all residents and activities within the municipality, who must adapt their cleaning habits, waste collection, and use of natural spaces to the new obligations.

Source: Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, no. 202, August 25, 2026, section III. Local Administration, page 93 (official reference: BOCM-20260825-29).