Favorable environmental report for the lead battery warehouse of Recobria in Logroño

The General Directorate of Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water of the Government of La Rioja has issued a favorable environmental impact report for the project of a warehouse intended for the reception, recovery, storage, and sale of metallic materials and sealed lead-acid batteries in Logroño, promoted by Recobria, SLU. The decision is contained in Resolution 392/2026, of November 6, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja in issue number 217, of Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (reference BOR-A-20261110-III–4243, file 202611060125485). The report rules out that the action could generate significant negative effects and exempts it from the ordinary environmental impact assessment.

A waste center in an already constructed warehouse

The project, processed through the simplified environmental impact assessment route, aims to install a waste collection and treatment center in an existing pavilion in the Cantabria II industrial estate, in the municipality of Logroño. The activity consists of the reception, recovery, storage, and sale of metallic materials—iron, aluminum, and copper—and sealed lead-acid batteries.

The metals are received and weighed, and then recovered through the separation of copper and PVC; once classified, they are stored for sale. The sealed lead-acid batteries are received, counted, and stored for sale “without any process or treatment,” according to the official text.

The characteristics of the facility are as follows:

• Plot of 4,579 m² in the Cantabria II industrial estate.
• Built area of 2,298.89 m², of which 2,167.88 m² correspond to the ground floor and 131.01 m² to the mezzanine.
• Cadastral reference 8238702WN4083S0001RY.
• Two open areas for metals and batteries, plus toilets, changing rooms, administrative office, and reception area.
• Full services for drinking water, sanitation, electricity, lighting, telephony, and road access.

Consultations without objections and file background

The promoter submitted the file to the General Directorate on November 27, 2025, with the documentation required by article 45.1 of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment. The public information announcement was published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 26, of February 9, 2026, in accordance with article 20.2 of Decree 29/2018, of September 20.

In parallel, the affected administrations and interested parties were consulted:

• State Administration: State Road Demarcation in La Rioja.
• Government of La Rioja: Directorate General for Environmental Quality, Climate Change and Water (Climate Change Services and Waste Management and Control Services), Directorate General for Infrastructure, Sub-directorate General for Emergencies and Civil Protection, and Directorate General for Public Health, Consumption and Care.
• Local Administration: Logroño City Council.
• Interested Parties: Friends of the Earth and Ecologists in Action.

Reports were received from the Directorate General for Infrastructure, the SOS Rioja Operational Coordination Center, the Directorate General for Public Health, Consumption and Care, the Directorate General for Environmental Quality itself, and the State Road Demarcation. No objections were filed.

Noise and air, the most exposed factors

The analysis in accordance with Annex III of Law 21/2013 concludes that the most impactful actions during the operational phase will be waste management and transport vehicle traffic. The most affected environmental factors will be noise and air quality, impacts that are considered compatible with the planned corrective measures.

The report emphasizes that the site does not affect protected natural areas, is not included in the Natura 2000 Network, and does not house Habitats of Community Interest or Forests of Public Utility. There are also no surface water bodies or underground water resources in the vicinity, and the land is classified for industrial use.

Conditions imposed before opening

The resolution is not limited to endorsing the project: it establishes obligations prior to the start of the activity.

• Request registration as a potentially atmosphere-polluting activity (APCA), group C.
• Obtain the authorization for the waste treatment installation.

The promoter is also obliged to communicate any substantial change so that the environmental body can determine whether it is appropriate to review the conditions or open a new processing procedure. The report will lose its validity if the project has not been authorized within a maximum period of four years from its publication, and it will not be subject to appeal, without prejudice to those that may proceed against the authorization act. The resolution bears the signature of the director general, Isabel Vitoria Díez.

The decision clears the administrative path for an activity with environmental risk—handling lead-acid batteries—which will be installed, however, on already urbanized urban-industrial land without new construction, which limits the impacts on the territory. For the residents around the Cantabria II industrial estate, attention now shifts to the traffic and noise conditions of waste transport and strict compliance with the environmental conditions.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 217, of November 10, 2026, section III. Other provisions and acts, pages 19055-19058 (official reference: BOR-A-20261110-III–4243).