Environmental green light for the expansion of the Fresno de la Ribera landfill

The Directorate General for Environmental Policy has formulated the environmental impact statement that reports favorably, for environmental purposes only, on the expansion of the landfill at the Non-Hazardous Industrial Waste Treatment Center of Fresno de la Ribera (Zamora), promoted by Sertego Servicios Medioambientales, S.L. The resolution, dated September 29, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León No. 200, of October 15, 2026, with the reference BOCYL-D-15102026-200-27 and file EIAO/2024/ZA/031.

The project expands the rejects cell by a volume of 2,973,759 m³, which translates to a useful life of approximately 22 years, with an estimated disposal via controlled landfill of 125,000 t/year. The facility has a current integrated environmental authorization, and the action is processed as a substantial modification of this, as it alone exceeds the thresholds of Annex I of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment (Group 8, section c: non-hazardous waste landfills with more than 10 t/day or capacity exceeding 25,000 t). Competence lies with the head of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Environment and Environmental Policy, decentralized in the Directorate General for Environmental Policy, and the proposal is formulated by the Environmental, Urbanism and Territorial Planning Council of Castilla y León. The document is signed by the Director General for Environmental Policy, José Guirao Sola.

Three new phases on the slope

The design provides for three consecutive phases (3, 4, and 5) on a slope located between the 765 and 707 meter elevations, within the plots already included in the current integrated environmental authorization (polygon 1, plots 119 to 125, postal code 49590):

• Phase 3: 53,947 m² of surface area, 800,569 m³ of capacity, and 5.82 years of useful life.
• Phase 4: 62,624 m², 1,076,296 m³, and 7.83 years.
• Phase 5: 75,486 m², 1,096,894 m³, and 7.98 years.

The landfill currently has two completed phases: phase 1 is sealed and phase 2 has two cells, with 2A at maximum capacity and 2B in operation until 2027. Since the granting of the environmental authorization, seven non-substantial modifications and one change of ownership have occurred. The original environmental impact statement for the center was published in 2006, promoted at the time by Técnicas de Recuperación e Inertización, S.A. (TRECISA), and the current environmental authorization was granted on June 28, 2024.

Neighborhood and environmentalist objections

The request to initiate the procedure was submitted on December 2, 2024, and the public information announcement was published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León No. 245, dated December 22, 2025, with an exhibition period of thirty business days. During the process, allegations were submitted by Ecologistas en Acción Castilla y León (two documents) and the Association for Development and Promotion (ADEPRO). The former requested the enabling of free downloads for the complete file and a restart of the deadline; the latter called for more sustainable alternatives, such as decentralized facilities, composting, and circular economy plans, and warned of effects on public health, air, water and soil, landscape, odors, noise, and property values.

The affected administrations were also consulted, including the Duero Hydrographic Confederation, the Civil Protection and Emergencies Agency, the Waste and Contaminated Soils Service, the Territorial Environmental Service of Zamora, the Territorial Culture, Tourism and Sport Service of Zamora, and the Territorial Health Service of Zamora. The basin authority concluded that the action does not affect any public watercourse and that the nearest flood-risk area, coinciding with the Duero River, is located 1.6 kilometers away. The report on the Natura 2000 Network rules out harm to protected areas.

Imposed conditions and environment

The declaration establishes environmental conditions that include:

• Waterproofing of the bottom and slopes with a bentonite geocomposite and high-density polyethylene liner.
• Four metal tanks for the storage and regulation of leachates, with a combined capacity of 4,320 m³.
• An olfactometric study in accordance with the UNE 13725 standard one year after the start of activity.
• Periodic watering and a speed limit of 20 km/h on the access roads.
• A 150 kW solar photovoltaic installation for self-consumption.
• Annual environmental monitoring reports and notification to the environmental body regarding the start of construction and operation.

The landfill is located approximately 1,500 meters from the center of Fresno de la Ribera, 3,900 meters from Algodre, and 4,700 from Coreses. The special conservation area ES4170083 “Banks of the Duero River and tributaries” is 1,725 meters away, the Duero River 1,600, the ZA-P-2307 road 175, and the A-11 highway 215. The declaration will expire if the execution of the project does not begin within a period of four years.

The resolution clears the main environmental procedure for an infrastructure that will determine the management of industrial waste in the province of Zamora for the next two decades. For the residents of Fresno de la Ribera and the Duero surroundings, the text establishes for the first time a specific odor control and reinforces the monitoring of water and soil, although the project must still obtain the substantial modification of the integrated environmental authorization and comply with the remaining sectoral authorizations.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 200, of October 15, 2026, section I.D Other Provisions, pp. 120-139 (official reference: BOCYL-D-15102026-200-27).