The COPATE Waste Area arises from the need to create economies of scale when managing waste, assuming the functions that, until now, were carried out by the Consorcio de Residuos del Montsià (CRM) and the Consorcio de Residuos del Baix Ebre (REBE). ). Both consortia already had the technical assistance of CODE, which has facilitated their administrative and competence fusion, advancing in the culture of cooperation and the creation of efficient structures at the service of the citizen.
In this sense, the desire to join forces entails, in the first instance, that the Mas de Barberans waste treatment facilities are managed jointly by the local administrations of both regions, both in Montsià and Baix Ebre, becoming territorially strategic facilities . The two regions manage to guarantee an environmentally responsible treatment of municipal waste and, on the other hand, moderate and stabilize treatment costs due to the decrease in waste production. In this way, since mid-2013 the price of treating the rest of the fraction for the inhabitants of Montsià is exactly the same as for the inhabitants of Bajo Ebro.
Therefore, what has been achieved is a win-win situation for both regional areas, a "win-win" initiative that allows a scenario of price stability for the inhabitants of Baix Ebre and Montsià, when external factors point to a continued increase in the cost of treatment. The only increases foreseen for the coming years will be those derived from the application of the environmental taxation of the Waste Agency of Catalonia and which aims to increase recovery rates by increasing the management fee of the remaining fraction of 15'40 € / tonne in 2014 to € 50 / tonne by 2020.
Regarding the joint collection of municipal waste from the two regions, the fact of having a larger scope of action allows for more capacity to share auxiliary materials such as washing containers, maintenance vehicles, etc .; and also transfer the services and successful initiatives from one region to the other.
In short, COPATE in waste management aims to be an efficient executing body for Councils at the service of municipalities, working together to offer quality services to citizens at the most moderate costs possible.
However, the efforts made by the competent administrations to deploy optimal collection and treatment services must be accompanied by the involvement of citizens by triage at home and using street facilities in a responsible and civic way. Only with good citizen collaboration will it be possible to avoid wasting economic and environmental resources.
