Canary Islands Government Starts Closure and Restoration of Matas Blancas Landfill in Pájara
The project, costing over one million euros, will recover more than 24 hectares in a high‑value environmental area. It is part of the regional landfill‑restoration plan opened by the European Commission in 2015.
The Canary Islands Government has begun the closure, sealing and restoration of the inert‑waste landfill at Matas Blancas, located in the municipality of Pájara (Fuerteventura). The inauguration ceremony was attended by Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water Minister Manuel Miranda, Executive Director of the Canary Agency for Natural Environment Protection (ACPMN) María Montserrat Ortega, President of the Fuerteventura Island Council Lola García, and Pájara Mayor Alejandro Jorge.
Matas Blancas, named after the local toponym, is one of the largest landfills in the Canary Islands. It covers 246,553 m²—the equivalent of 35 football fields—and is divided into four operational zones and four slopes, each requiring different interventions according to the terrain’s characteristics.
The project, awarded at €1,062,444.95 with a three‑month execution period, officially started on 30 September after the signing of the layout act and is scheduled to finish on 30 December 2025.
Closure of the landfill
A priority within the Canary Islands’ environmental restoration
“The closure of Matas Blancas represents an important step within the Canary Islands’ landfill‑recovery strategy, which aims to restore degraded spaces, correct historic impacts and return nature to areas affected for decades,” Manuel Miranda emphasized.
Miranda recalled that a key priority for his department this legislative term is the restoration of all landfills subject to the infringement procedure launched by the European Commission in 2015. Between 2024 and 2025, around €4.5 million have been allocated to seal eight landfills across the archipelago.
Executive Director María Montserrat Ortega added that by the end of 2025 only 15 of the original 47 landfills should remain to be recovered. “These 47 deposits, once restored, will enable the recovery of 216,000 hectares, equivalent to 288 football fields,” she noted.
Institutional coordination to restore the Majorero landscape
President Lola García highlighted the importance of the work within the island’s sustainability strategy. “Within the strategy for preserving our territory and landscape, coordination between local administrations, the Canary Islands Government and, in this case, the ACPMN, is essential. We thank them for following this crucial roadmap to restore the Matas Blancas environment,” she said.
García also stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and improve infrastructure included in the Island Waste Plan. “The sealing works on Cell 4 of the Zurira Environmental Complex are virtually complete, with an investment of €3.2 million funded by the Island Council. We continue to upgrade machinery and transfer plants to advance circular‑economy goals in Fuerteventura,” she added.
Pájara’s commitment to environmental restoration
Mayor Alejandro Jorge described the intervention as “an opportunity to return Matas Blancas to its natural and scenic value after many years of degradation.”
“Our municipality is committed to conserving the environment and managing the territory responsibly. This work not only closes one chapter but opens another based on environmental recovery and a more sustainable waste‑management model,” the mayor affirmed.
Jorge also highlighted that the project “will directly benefit residents and the whole municipality because it improves environmental quality, restores a highly visible area in the island’s south, and strengthens Pájara’s natural appeal.”
A technical work in a singular natural setting
The landfill sits on common rustic soil and a protected watercourse within the Barranco de Fuente Nueva, a stream with hydraulic activity. A primary task is to re‑channel the watercourse affected by the landfill’s former pit, thereby restoring the natural dynamics of the ravine and preventing future impacts.
Another notable feature is the final cover layer, designed to homogenize the ground and ensure environmental integration. This layer is produced by crushing and re‑using materials previously removed from the landfill, supplemented with borrow material when necessary—a technique that reduces the environmental footprint and promotes ecological soil restoration.
A strategic habitat for threatened species
The Matas Blancas area forms part of the habitat of the Canary long‑eared buzzard (Neophron percnopterus majorensis), the only vulture species in the archipelago and classified as endangered. Consequently, the works are carried out with minimum environmental disturbance, in coordination with the Canary Islands Government’s biodiversity services and the Fuerteventura Island Council.