Press Release - May 2026

• The combined revenue of companies managing waste treatment and disposal plants reached €2.265 billion in 2025, up 3.0% year-over-year, extending the upward trend of recent years.

• The number of facilities in operation continues to rise, already exceeding 425 plants. This trend will continue to be driven in the medium term by the construction of new treatment plants, mainly sorting, composting and biomethanisation facilities.

• INFORMA's DBK Sectoral Observatory recently published these insights in the 'Waste Treatment Plants' Special Report.

Madrid, 5 May 2026.- According to INFORMA's (Cesce's subsidiary) DBK Sectoral Observatory—a leading provider of business, financial, sectoral, and marketing information in Spain and Portugal—waste treatment and disposal plant management generated turnover of €2.265 billion in 2025, up 3.0% from the previous year, maintaining the growth trend of recent years.

This performance took place amid a gradual increase in the proportion of waste treated relative to total waste generated, supported by progress in environmental policies and improvements in available infrastructure.

Private majority-owned companies generated 80% of total market value, while public-sector entities accounted for the remaining 20%.

The outlook for the sector over the next few years is positive, amid rising demand from public bodies for municipal solid waste treatment and disposal services as environmental regulations tighten, both nationally and internationally.

The number of operational municipal waste treatment and disposal facilities continues to rise, exceeding 425 plants, driven by the commissioning of new sorting, composting and biomethanisation facilities.

Plant management is characterised by the strong presence of large corporate groups with other environment-related activities, which manage a large number of plants across Spain. Alongside these, public-sector entities and mixed-capital (public-private) companies operate, generally with a local or regional scope.

Turnover is highly concentrated, with the top five competitors holding 72% of total market value in 2025; the top ten, a combined share of over 80%. 

Data Synthesis, 2025