Waste Disposal and Recycling in Tenerife

WASTE DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING IN TENERIFE

UPDATED: 29th February 2024

CONTENTS:

1. Domestic Rubbish Bag Collections

2. Domestic Recycling

3. Collection of Large Items

4. Local Waste Processing Centres (Puntos Limpios)

5. List of acceptable items together with permitted quantities

6. List of Prohibited or Restricted Items

In recent years, Tenerife has made great strides to improving its waste processing and management and has made the services as user-friendly as possible.

1. Domestic rubbish bag collections

Unlike in many countries, regular domestic/organic rubbish is collected by most councils on a daily basis. The trucks typically roll around to collect rubbish in the early hours of the morning from 1.00am onwards. Rubbish collection points vary from place to place. Apartment complexes and communities typically have their own dedicated rubbish room or zone. Private houses typically leave their rubbish bags out by the roadside of the nearest main street, but often in single shared locations every 50 or so metres to assist the rubbish collectors. A stroll around any neighbourhood shortly before midnight on any given night will soon reveal the customary locations.

2. Domestic Recycling

Most areas of Tenerife have introduced local voluntary recycling points. There are currently two types:

In the photo below we can see the standard recycling pods, which are separated into Glass, Plastics, and Paper/Card.

However, some Town Halls, including Adeje are now rolling out new underground recycling pods (pictured below). These larger containers are installed underground, thereby saving space and reducing the frequency of visits to empty the contents. The rubbish is stored below an automatic shutter, thereby removing most of the flies and smells associated with the old style pods. Collection drivers can even remove and replace the containers remotely without even having to leave the cab of their collection lorry.

La Caleta in Adeje has also introduced the first Organic Waste Compactor, which works in a similar way to the above.

3. Collection of Large Items

Larger items (sofas, washing machines, mattresses etc) up to a maximum of 50 kilos per item are also collected from the same locations, but usually on only one fixed day each month. The day varies depending on the relevant town hall (ayuntamiento). Also, to cover the entire borough, collections are typically split into 4 zones over 4 weeks.

For example, in ADEJE, large item collections are always on a Wednesday and the zones are divided as follows:

1st Wednesday of the month

*Tijoco Alto, Taucho, La Quinta, Las Moraditas, La Concepción, Tijoco Bajo, Los Menores, La Hoya, Las Rosas and Charco del Valle.

2nd Wednesday

*Armeñime, Iboybo, Callao Salvaje, Playa Paraíso, Las Cancelas, El Puertito, Sueño Azul, Marazul, Ricasa, Boca Cangrejo and Corral del Guanche.

3rd Wednesday:

*Barrio de Las Nieves, Los Olivos, Adeje, Las Torres, Fañabé and La Caleta.

4th Wednesday:

*Torviscas, San Eugenio + las Américas (Costa Adeje), Playas de Fañabé and Costa Adeje.

It is recommended to check the latest arrangements directly with your local Ayuntamiento, as the timetables, rules and requirements can sometimes change at short notice.

4. Local Waste Processing Centres (Puntos Limpios)

For domestic (but NOT industrial) waste, e.g. garden waste or items that are difficult to place in a standard bin-bag, there is the option to take your waste directly to your local waste processing centre (‘Punto Limpio’).

There are 8 Puntos Limpios in Tenerife, the contact details and opening hours for each can be accessed below in PDF format together with a Google Maps link:

At the very bottom you will also find links to lists of accepted and prohibited items. Each Punto Limpio also features the similar recycling pods to those found in the street.

Adeje

Punto Limpio Adeje

https://goo.gl/maps/euqtUPT2XNp

Arona

Punto Limpio Arona

https://goo.gl/maps/vBVSQNjtWg72

Buenavista

Punto Limpio Buenavista

https://goo.gl/maps/hwJCqj8YyHBsMKai8

Guimar

Punto Limpio Guimar

https://goo.gl/maps/D1jQJqxqsEDPSYNu7