Waste Problem and Management in Insular and Isolated Systems. Case Study in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Abstract

The municipal waste management is becoming increasingly important in regional policies. While, on one hand there are currently high rates of recycling, it is also true that waste production grows exponentially. Waste management is a difficult task, but in the case of island territories is very complex, being isolated and limited territories. Also the need to establish a plan for restoration of degraded areas, as landfills must be considered. Given the continuous increase in the amount of waste managed, waste is one of the biggest problems facing environmental management in the Canaries. In small and limited spaces such as islands, even taking into account the increased capacity of waste recovery is where it has the greatest sense premise that “the best waste is not produced”. The Canary Islands lie with the challenge of developing a management model that solves the collection and treatment of new waste streams according to the EU, national and regional legislation. It has to be taken into account its character as an island with an important tourist population, which, although not considered legal population, is generating waste.