TORREMOLINOS has approved a 12.5% cut in its bin tax from January 1, 2027.
The cut applies equally to homes, shops and industrial premises, even as neighbouring Malaga city looks to bring in a new waste charge.
The tax cut was voted through at an extraordinary council meeting on October 8.
The governing People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox voted in favour, while the Socialist PSOE and left-wing IU-Podemos voted against.
It comes on top of a 20% cut the council says it has applied since 2023.
“Torremolinos goes against the current: we are cutting the bin tax again,” said mayor Margarita del Cid when she announced the plan on October 2.
Under the council’s own examples, a home that paid €175 a year before 2023 now pays €140 and will pay €122.47 from January.
A home that paid €300 now pays €240 and will pay €209.95.
The council says its economic report shows the new rates will cover the full cost of collecting and treating rubbish in 2027 without a deficit.
“Our policy is very simple: that residents do not pay more than it costs to provide the service,” said finance councillor Miguel Quesada.
The council is also drawing up a new waste ordinance during 2027 to split the cost between household and business waste, taking the weight of tourism into account.
PSOE spokesperson Nieves Rosales said her party backs the cut but wants more help for low-income households.
The PP rejected a PSOE amendment to raise the income limit for the special low-income rate from 1.3 to 1.5 times the IPREM, the public income index used to set benefit thresholds.
“It is not the same to pay €122 a year for a person with high income as for a working family on a minimum wage,” Rosales said.
IU-Podemos said the cut would be worth €17.50 to families against more than €3,000 for big hotels, Diario Sur reported.
The PSOE also fears costs will rise if the service is privatised, the newspaper said.
Next door, Malaga city is introducing a new bin charge under a national law that obliges every town hall to make waste services pay for themselves.
The city council forecasts an average bill of €129.29 a year per home.
About 1,000 people protested in Velez-Malaga on October 7 against a new bin tax in that town, Diario Sur reported.
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