In El Prat de Llobregat, just south of Barcelona, homes and businesses will pay an average 15% less on the municipal waste collection charge in 2026. The council approved the cut at its plenary session, and it will apply from 1 January 2026, with the change shown on bills issued from the last quarter of the year.
The council said the lower charge follows a first full year of smart container use, along with better recycling rates, lower service costs and subsidies. Residents can read the council’s explanation on the official Ajuntament del Prat de Llobregat website, and the approved notices are published through the Diputació de Barcelona.
Spain’s rules required municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to introduce a waste charge by April 2025 if they did not already have one. In El Prat, homes and businesses that recycle can also get a discount of up to 40%, linked to the smart container rollout.
The council said recycling improved over the year after the new system was introduced. Organic waste collection rose by 71%, packaging collection by 113%, paper collection by 34%, and residual waste from the grey bin fell by 21%.
It also said treating organic waste costs about 60 euros per tonne, compared with 120 euros per tonne for residual waste. Lower cleaning and waste collection costs, plus grants, also helped bring the charge down.
The same plenary session also provisionally approved a municipal surcharge on the tourist tax for stays in hotels and other tourist accommodation in El Prat. The council said it is applying the Catalan law passed by Parliament in February, which increased the regional tourist tax and allowed municipalities to add a local surcharge.
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