The two fires at the vegetal-processing plant within a fortnight have caused chaos in the farming sector over green-waste disposal.

Huge mountains of rotting leaves, branches and all other kinds of the vegetal residue from market gardening are growing and multiplying whilst the plant sits inactive. In fact, the plant itself has become a flies’ paradise with so much rotting matter about.

The transport service; i.e., the lorries that bring in the waste, are also parked up and money is being lost. One transport-company owner said, “we used to bring in about 40 lorry-loads every day but within a fortnight we’ve dropped from 40 to zero.”

Some sources already put the figure for losses at around 150,00 for the local agricultural sector. Companies in Motril and Charchuna say they are losing 6,000 euros per day. This figure might not be accurate because farmers have probably said that they are losing a million a day, (referring to Pesetas) which translates into 6,000 euros.

The Asociación Agricultura Viva en Acción has demanded that it be reopened saying that they have been bombarded with complaints from farmers and fruit & veg wholesale warehouses.

Likewise, the Chairman of the Andalusian Federation of Associations for Horticulture Traders says that they have joined their voices with others to demand that it be reopened.

The trouble is that this treatment plant is the only one in the whole province and the sole advice given by the different administrations is for them to take their green waste to the Almería one. This, however, is not practical, both because of the transport costs and because the Almería plant is already working to its top capacity with just what the Almería farmers bring in.

Editorial note: These recycling plants turn vegetal waste into compost.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)