Textile Waste Scandal Unravels: Illegal Moroccan Imports Threaten Spanish Coast

Tons of textile waste stored without any control on a plot in Zabal have been discovered. This is the third illegal dump discovered in the region in barely two years, which reinforces the suspicion that the area has become one of the main entry points for this type of waste from Morocco. On Thursday, September 25, an investigation was opened following the alert from the environmental agents of the Andalusia Council and the filing of a complaint by Verdemar Ecologistas en Acción.

In the document presented by the environmental organization, to which Europa Sur had access, the exact coordinates of the landfill are detailed. It is also mentioned that large trucks regularly accessed a plot to dump tons of textile waste (fabric remnants, automotive upholstery, rubber foam and other similar materials). This dumping of waste on an unfit land poses a high risk of fire, pest proliferation and soil and water pollution, according to the complaint.

According to the first elements, the persons under investigation were acting as intermediaries on behalf of a company that illegally imported textile waste from Morocco through the port of Algeciras. The land on which this waste is dumped also does not have the necessary municipal and regional licenses for waste management. The investigation is ongoing and will determine the extent of this traffic and the role of the persons involved. Other hypotheses do not exclude the possibility that the textile waste is used as a cover to conceal other illicit trafficking such as drugs.