Waste Fund of Navarra, a financial policy instrument for better waste prevention and management.
About this good practice
Overconsumption and single-use products lead to environmental damage, including resource depletion and pollution.
Aware of this problems, in 2018 Government of Navarra (northern Spain) approved a law on Waste and its Taxation that included the creation of a Waste Fund to mitigate the waste related adverse impacts on human health and the environment, with the aim of stimulating the best overall environmental results.
Hence, the Waste Fund of Navarra is a grant programme aimed at supporting companies and entities that generate non-hazardous industrial waste. These grants are awarded to finance actions related to promote the prevention, preparation for reuse and recycling of waste.
The fund is provided with the following resources:
- The amount resulting from the collection of the tax on landfill disposal and waste incineration.
- The amount collected from the penalties imposed for infractions of waste regulation.
- Donations, subsidies and aid granted by other entities or other contributions intended to finance waste management operations.
The Waste Fund is distributed in annual calls to local and regional waste entities, private companies and Universities and research centres.
Some of the actions that may be subject to subsidy are:
- Aid for the implementation of measures to reduce waste an improve efficiency in its management.
- Support for training, information and awareness on non-hazardous industrial waste.
- Valorisation of construction and demolition waste.
Resources needed
The resources allocated by the Government of Navarra include: establishing a separate budget within the Environmental Department to manage the Waste Fund; designing and managing annual calls; training public officers; creating 1-2 new positions, coordinating with the Public Waste Entity.
Evidence of success
With regards to the topic of the INERTWASTE project (valorisation of industrial and construction waste) the following grants have been awarded:
- EUR 10,605.75 for industrial waste to one entity.
- EUR 729,021 for construction and demolition waste to 17 entities.
The Waste Fund also covers other waste flows such us household or non-hazardous. From 2020 more than EUR 15 million have been disposed.
Potential for learning or transfer
The Waste Fund is a valuable financial instrument to promote measures aligned to the prioritising of the waste hierarchy. A comparable initiative in Catalonia (Spain) has also shown promising results. The success of the schemes of Navarra and Catalonia suggest that they could be replicated and adapted by public authorities elsewhere. Furthermore, the flexibility in resource allocation allows tailored interventions to meet regional needs related to different issues, including waste, climate action, or road safety.
The funding model incorporates several sources, including taxes, penalties, donations and subsidies. This diversified funding approach ensures financial stability, which could be an inspiration for other regions who are searching for financing solutions for waste valorisation initiatives.
This Fund can boost companies, public entities or research centres to improve efficiency on internal management and promotion of circular economy models for a more sustainable way of life.
Further information
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Good practice owner
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