Castilla-La Mancha Region, Spain
The Bio-based Circular Economy Action Plan of Castilla-La Mancha was finally approved 17th December 2019. It has been organized in two main actions, the approval of the Circular Economy Strategy and some initiatives linked to community composting.
The approval of the Regional Circular Economy Strategy is a milestone to change our way of managing. The aim of this action is to achieve a change of economic model towards a low-carbon economy and sustainable consumption with production involving all agents in the value chain and actively involving the citizen to achieve responsible consumption.
Our inspiration was the good practice developed by the region of Päijät-Häme in Finland and the aim of this action is to replicate this good practice in our region by approving a circular economy strategy as a development of the Circular Economy Law of Castilla-La Mancha.
The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha has developed a standard on circular economy with the rank of law, with the aim of establishing the guiding principles of all economic and social policy in the region. But, due to its legislative nature, it is necessary to develop a strategic plan to implement the necessary measures. All the process of our action plan is being very active and participatory though we have had to adapt to the situation we are suffering from the pandemic.
During the first Semester of 2020, the regional Government created the coordination committee. In this group, all the actors work together to develop the principles set forth by the law. The committee works in four groups: competitiveness and innovation, territorial synergies, resources and governance.
Some examples of their activity are:
- Competitiveness and innovation group studies the improvement of the waste management chain
- Territorial synergies are focused on the creation of circular territories joining companies, government and different organizations
- The resource is a group to aim a more efficient and sustainable use of resources in all the production sectors
- Governance, composed of local and regional administrations, universities and local action groups, work to get an effective and viable implementation of the circular economy.
We already have a draft of the text, and this document has just finished a period of public information. The text has had a strategic environmental assessment and it was presented to the Environmental Advisory Council.
The process will finish checking all the allegations and it is expected to have a final document to be approved by the end of this year or the beginning of 2021. The action plan has another action related to community composting.
It is important to bear in mind that the region of Castilla-La Mancha has a high percentage of the population living in isolated or dispersed rural areas due to the remoteness of important population centres; consequently, the government of Castilla-La Mancha intends to face the difficulties presented by these areas and which represents a challenge for the management of municipal waste.
The inspiration for this action was the good practices presented by the French partner AC3A in the area of Pays de la Loire, which promotes composting in small residential areas and what we want is to improve the management of domestic waste in isolated areas of the region of Castilla-La Mancha.
We have three sub-measures:
- Develop a regional regulation about community composting.
- Promotion of domestic and community composting of bio-waste through PEMAR funds
- Implementation of domestic or community composting in those municipalities considered isolated (calls for expressions of interest)
We are really enthusiastic about the projects of community composting in remoted areas with the support of PEMAR funds (National Waste Management Plan). We are finishing some administrative procedures and as soon as we can finish this administrative step, they will start the bidding, adjudication and procurement processes so, It is expected to have some results before finishing BIOREGIO project.
