Environmental green light for the Recuver scrap plant in Camargo

The General Directorate of Environment and Climate Change of the Government of Cantabria has issued the Environmental Impact Report endorsing the installation and operation of a scrap treatment plant promoted by Chatarras y Metales Recuver, S. L. in the municipality of Camargo. The ruling, published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (No. 154), concludes that the project does not require an ordinary environmental impact assessment, provided that the measures and conditions established are met. The resolution bears the signature of the Director General, Alberto Quijano Alonso, dated in Santander on August 2, 2026.

The decision is adopted within the framework of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, whose Article 7.2 subjects certain projects to simplified environmental assessment. File EIA-SIMP.027.2025, corresponding to the project “Installation and Operation of Scrap and Waste Metal Products Treatment”, falls under group 9 of Annex II of the law, as amended by Royal Decree 445/2023, of June 13, under headings b) of waste disposal or recovery installations and d) of scrap storage, including discarded vehicles. The procedure began on October 7, 2025, with the request for initiation, and public consultations were opened on November 6, 2025.

A project of 16,510 tonnes per year in Trascueto-Arcilla

The installation will be located on plots 13B and 14B of the Trascueto-Arcilla industrial estate, in the town of Revilla (Camargo), approximately nine kilometres from Santander and 26 from Torrelavega, on a plot of 1,118 square metres (1,050 usable) with cadastral reference 1467204VP3016N0001KK. The activity will manage non-hazardous metal waste, ferrous and non-ferrous, polymers, packaging, electrical conductors, end-of-life vehicles, glass and construction and demolition waste, with an estimated capacity of 16,510 tonnes per year.

• Receiving and unloading areas (125 m²), multi-purpose work area (465 m²) and storage area (445 m²), plus toilets and changing rooms (15 m²).
• Recovery operations classified under codes R12 and R13 of Law 7/2022, on waste and contaminated soils: metal recovery, sorting, mechanical treatment and storage.
• Paving with a 30-centimetre concrete slab over an impermeable membrane, 5.8-metre perimeter enclosure and drainage with sand and hydrocarbon separator.

Six bodies consulted and municipal support

During the consultation phase, the environmental body requested reports from six administrations and bodies:

• Cantabrian Hydrographic Confederation: no observations, albeit after the deadline, provided that the preventive and corrective measures are applied.
• Directorate General for Culture and Historical Heritage: no objection, according to report INF 430/25 of 3 February 2026.
• Directorate General for Urban Planning and Land Management and Directorate General for Security and Citizen Protection: reported in favor without substantive objections.
• Directorate General for Forests and Biodiversity: did not issue a response, and the Camargo City Council reported favorably conditioned on compliance with the urban planning parameters of the PGOU.

The report rules out significant impacts on Natura 2000 network areas and archaeological sites, although it notes the proximity of the Ría del Carmen wetland, less than one kilometer away, and the nearest watercourse, about 522 meters from the plot.

Validity, monitoring and assessment

The environmental impact report will remain valid for four years from its publication in the BOC; if the project is not authorized within that period, it will lose its validity unless an extension is agreed. The ruling is not appealable through administrative channels, without prejudice to the appeals that may be filed against the future authorization. The plant must be subject to an Environmental Monitoring Plan, with quarterly reports during the conditioning works and a follow-up after one year of operation, to verify the effectiveness of the measures.

The resolution clears the main environmental hurdle for a waste management facility that will serve surrounding businesses, in a municipality of more than 30,000 inhabitants. The approval does not amount to a license: the activity still requires the installation and operation authorization and municipal licenses, which must comply with the urban planning ordinance of Camargo.

Source: Official Bulletin of Cantabria, no. 154, Wednesday, 12 August 2026, section 7.2 Environment and Energy, pp. 37006-37033 (official reference: CVE-2026-6303).