The problems caused by the gas emissions from the landfill continue to be a source of controversy in Lanzarote. So much so that, after a legal process filed by Cleofé Barreto was archived, this resident of the capital's Valterra neighborhood has decided to appeal to the General Council of the Judiciary to verify whether there has been negligent management of Zonzamas.
It all started in 2008, when, due to the methane gas emissions and the stench from the landfill, Cleofé Barreto was forced to seal her house, as she suffers from an allergy and the situation had become unbearable for her. At this point, she decided to go the legal route, convinced that what was cooking in Zonzamas were irregularities.
In mid-June of this year, Cleofé discovered that the case, assigned to Court Number 3 of Arrecife, had been archived: "I wanted to request an appeal, but the Bar Association told me that I needed new evidence." She also adds: "When I was going to request the documentation, they got nervous and kept putting me off."
She claims that there is a report made by Seprona, Health, the Cabildo of Lanzarote, and the Arrecife City Council on the conditions of Zonzamas. "They have told me that the report says that everything is correct, but I want to see it," Cleofé insists. Finally, she states that she has been forced to appeal to the General Council of the Judiciary to show her the aforementioned report, and she is awaiting a response.
All of this comes months after the current president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Pedro San Ginés, assumed his position and assured that solving the problem of Zonzamas was a priority for the island's executive, while criticizing the management of the previous government in this matter. Among the promises, he highlighted covering the waste by stockpiling earth, since the jable and rofe that were usually used did not effectively isolate the odors. Despite this, Cleofé Barreto insists that things continue as before and "that what should be done is not being done." She assures that "instead of fine sand, they continue to put rofe, which heats up more," and predicts that the situation will become evident again this summer, as temperatures rise and the garbage ferments.
The Cabildo's Response
The island's Director of Waste, José Juan Lorenzo, assures that although the "ideal" material is not really being used, it is being compacted and covered according to the operating regulations: "Months ago, it was not covered daily," he points out, assuring that this was what caused the fires that have been recorded in recent years. Referring to the one that took place in April 2008, one of the largest that the landfill has suffered, he recalls: "This looked like a volcano."
Regarding Cleofé Barreto's claim, José Juan Lorenzo acknowledges that "picon is not the best material to cover, because its capacity to prevent oxygen from passing through is not the best," but he anticipates that new steps will continue to be taken in this regard. "We are going to sell picon to finance the purchase of fine materials. The priority was to cover, the second was to trade with the picon," he explains.
Neighborhood Support
Both the Montaña Mina Neighborhood Association and Aculanza support Cleofé in her struggle, convinced that the problem of gas emissions and waste management remains unresolved, and defending that "all citizens have the right to clean air." Thus, Fernando Jiménez, president of Aculanza, explains: "We have requested gas detectors from the Cabildo and the Ministry of the Environment"; and adds: "We suspect that this equipment does not exist."
On this issue, José Juan Lorenzo defends himself by explaining that this is the responsibility of the Atmospheric Quality Monitoring and Control Networks, governed by the General Directorate of Public Health of the Canary Islands. However, he affirms that "everything is in order" and adds: "There are no specific detectors for garbage odors, which are not harmful. What we do have are methane detectors, which can be dangerous, in the Biomethane Plant."
Biomethane in Progress.
The island's Director of Waste is especially proud of the "great success" of the launch of the Biomethane Plant. There, the organic matter that previously, despite its high combustion potential, went directly to the landfill, favoring fires, is separated. Now, the organic waste is treated, which, added to the sewage sludge, is used to generate biogas. "The next milestone will be to convert it into electrical energy," says Lorenzo, while explaining that they are in negotiations with Endesa Energía and that the connection to the Unelco network will occur shortly, which will be forced to acquire it.
José Juan Lorenzo is satisfied when showing what, he assures, has been "a before and after" in the management of the Zonzamas landfill and expresses that "things are going reasonably well." Upon hearing this, Roberto, director of the complex, recalls an anecdote starring three professors and five students from the University of Nuremberg, Germany, who were analyzing the operation of landfills in the Canary Islands to carry out their thesis. "They said that this worked in the same way as in their country," he assures. In any case, he explains that he has been working in Zonzamas for a year and a half and that, despite perceiving improvements, "there are still things to do."
José Juan Lorenzo repeats vehemently: "My obsession is that everyone comes through here". He trusts that, in this way, popular distrust and criticism of the poor management of the landfill will come to an end. He maintains that the frequent fires and the stench that the landfill emitted were the result of "the neglect and apathy" of the previous government group, but affirms that things have changed for the better. Thus, based on the fulfillment of the daily coverage of the garbage and the separation of organic waste with the launch of the biomethane machine, he dares to predict: "I am in a position to say that we are working correctly and it is not foreseeable that there will be fires."
Waste Separation, a Pending Subject.
In terms of recycling, the island's Director of Waste asks citizens "not to look for excuses; whoever wants to separate, can separate", and points out that the amount of plastics and cardboard that come mixed with organic waste is "infinitely greater" than those that are conveniently deposited in recycling containers.
He points out the importance of social awareness, a pending subject, as revealed by the fact that the municipalities of Tías and Yaiza, with a large volume of English and German residents, are at the forefront in terms of waste separation.
On the other hand, given the numerous complaints from residents regarding the number of containers, José Juan Lorenzo assures that they intend to implement more. Thus, he explains: "Seventy new glass containers have recently been installed in Arrecife."
He wants to make it clear that, although Lanzarote does not have industry and, therefore, does not have its own recycling plant, waste is classified according to its materials and sent to the peninsula so that it can be properly treated and reused. Therefore, he urges citizens to recycle despite the fact that, unlike other places in the Spanish geography, fines are not imposed in the opposite case. Lorenzo explains: "Before taking sanctioning measures, the Administration has to take all the measures in its hand, set an example."