Xunta de Galicia Launches Expert Panel to Boost Municipal Circular Economy and Waste Management
The Xunta de Galicia sets up a multi-stakeholder expert panel to define priorities and enhance municipal circular economy practices and waste management.
- • Xunta de Galicia formed an expert panel to address municipal waste management and circular economy improvements.
- • The panel identified five priority areas including diagnostics, technical support, fee alignment, communication, and incentives for efficient collection.
- • The initiative emphasizes improving selective collection quality and increasing recycling rates.
- • Support is provided through the Municipal Circular Economy Office and GAIA platform, available since June 2025.
Key details
On November 22, 2025, the Xunta de Galicia initiated a Municipal Circular Economy Office expert panel aimed at enhancing selective waste collection and sustainable waste management across local municipalities. The inaugural meeting, presided over by María José Echevarría, Director General of Environmental Quality and Sustainability, convened at the Cidade da Cultura in Santiago with representatives from municipalities, waste management bodies, and circular economy specialists. The panel's mission is to identify and implement opportunities that improve the quality and quantity of recyclable waste flows, facilitating treatment and material recovery.
Participants assessed challenges such as efficient waste separation at source and the need to heighten citizen awareness. Four focused working groups addressed topics including planning, innovative operational models, efficiency linked to taxation, and regulatory frameworks. The groups collectively identified five priority action areas: conducting rigorous diagnostics based on reliable data; expanding technical support for innovation through existing Municipal and Industrial Circular Economy Offices; aligning waste collection fees with waste generation; improving communications through simple, transparent metrics; and incentivizing more efficient collection systems like door-to-door pickup.
Since June 2025, Galician local entities have benefited from personalized advisory services and technical assistance via the Municipal Circular Economy Office through the Xunta’s GAIA platform, aiming for widespread implementation of these circular economy initiatives. The collaboration underscores the Xunta’s commitment to advancing sustainable municipal waste policies and promoting greater recycling and material recovery rates in line with circular economy principles.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.