Closure and Restoration Work Begins at Matas Blancas Landfill, Fuerteventura
The project, with an investment of over one million euros, will restore one of the most degraded areas of the municipality of Pájara before the end of 2025.
Project overview
The Government of the Canary Islands has launched the closure, sealing and restoration of the inert‑waste landfill at Matas Blancas, located in the municipality of Pájara.
- Budget: €1,062,444.95 (just over €1 million)
- Duration: 3 months – officially started on 30 September and scheduled to finish on 30 December 2025.
Site details
The landfill covers 246,553 m², roughly the size of 35 football fields, making it one of the largest in the archipelago. It is divided into four operational zones and four slopes, each requiring different interventions according to the terrain’s characteristics.
Official statements
“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 that have been affected for decades.”
— Manuel Miranda, Councillor for Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water
Miranda added that a key priority for the regional government is to restore all landfills included in the infringement procedure opened by the European Commission in 2015. Between 2024 and 2025, €4.5 million has been allocated to seal eight landfills across the archipelago.
“When 2025 ends, only 15 of the original 47 landfills will still need recovery, allowing the restoration of 216,000 hectares—the equivalent of 288 football fields.”
— María Montserrat Ortega, Executive Director of the Canary Islands Agency for Natural Environment Protection (ACPMN)
“Preserving our territory and landscape requires strong coordination between administrations. We thank the Government of the Canary Islands and the ACPMN for their commitment to this roadmap.”
— Lola García, President of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura
“This work offers an opportunity to return Matas Blancas to its natural and scenic value after years of degradation.”
— Alejandro Jorge, Mayor of Pájara
“This intervention does not just close a chapter; it opens a new one based on environmental recovery and a more sustainable waste‑management model.”
— Alejandro Jorge, Mayor of Pájara