Order to implement corrective measures at the Zaldibar landfill

The Vice-Minister of Environment has required Verter Recycling 2000, S.L. (in liquidation) to take preventive and corrective measures to avoid damages at the non-hazardous waste landfill in Zaldibia. The order was notified via a resolution dated June 9, 2026, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV) number 177 on September 16, 2026, with official reference 2026/3910.

The resolution was issued through the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, and although the company that is the owner of the landfill is in liquidation, the administration has demanded these measures. The notification had no effect in a first attempt, and therefore it has been published in the official gazette, according to Article 44 and the Third Additional Provision of Law 39/2015 (of October 1, 2015, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations).

Background of the file

The order is located within file ERM-2020-001, the follow-up process after the collapse that occurred at the Zaldibia landfill in February 2020. That event caused the death of two workers and created a public environmental and safety risk, and since then, the administration has pushed for corrective measures and emergency works.

Three interested parties appear in the annex of the file, linked to the reference Verter Recycling 2002, S.L., each with their respective NIF/DNI number. All of them receive this publication as a valid individual notification.

Content of the measures and obligations

The resolution requests the owner of the landfill to take preventive and corrective measures to avoid damages, within the protection of the environmental domain. These measures are aimed at ensuring the stability and safety of the landfill, to resolve the risks created as a result of the 2020 collapse.

• Preventive measures: avoiding further environmental damage.
• Corrective measures: repairing damage that has already occurred.
• File: ERM-2020-001.

Notification procedure

Since the notification had no effect in a first attempt, the administration has published it in the BOPV and the Official State Gazette (BOE), so that it may serve as an individual notification to the interested parties. The full text of the documents is available at the Vice-Ministry of Environment, Donostia-San Sebastián street 1, 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The notification will have effects from the day following its publication in the BOE. The document was signed by the Vice-Minister of Environment, Josu Bilbao Begoña, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, on September 4, 2026.

Impact

This resolution is of great importance, as the case of the Zaldibia landfill remains open and the administration continues to demand its responsibilities even though the company is in liquidation. The fulfillment of the corrective measures aims to reduce the public environmental and safety risk, and the publication ensures that the interested parties are aware of and fulfill their obligations.

Source: Official Gazette of the Basque Country, number 177, September 16, 2026, section I (official reference: 2026/3910).