Waste and recycling at hotels and holiday rentals: the waste fee and sorting rules (Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece, 2026)

Updated: 10 November 2026

Waste is a fixed cost many properties ignore until the bill arrives. We read the Spanish waste law, Seville's bylaws, a Portuguese municipal regulation and a Greek Interior Ministry circular (links at the end). Where we could not confirm something we say so. This is not legal advice: check with your adviser and your council.

Spain: the Law 7/2022 waste fee

Art. 11.3 of Law 7/2022 (BOE):

Each council must have a specific, separate fee (or non-tax public charge) that does not run a deficit.
It must reflect the real cost of collection, transport and treatment and allow pay-as-you-throw.
Deadline: three years from the law's entry into force (10 April 2022), i.e. 10 April 2025.
The law does not set what a hotel or holiday rental pays: each council's bylaw does.

Example: Seville charges per bed

Waste collection fee bylaw (2024 version), tariff 3, per bed and quarter:

4 and 5-star hotels: EUR 8.00. 2 and 3-star hotels and 2-star hostels: EUR 7.35. 1-star, guesthouses and hostels: EUR 4.80.
Tourist apartments and holiday homes (VFT): EUR 5.00 / 4.00 / 3.00 / 2.00 depending on the street category.
Art. 10: holiday homes pay this on top of the residential charge.

Seville: the new Law 7/2022 fee

On 30 January 2025 the city's governing board approved the draft bylaw and sent it to the full council.
Proposed rates per bed and quarter: hotels EUR 3.97 / 3.65 / 2.38; holiday homes EUR 2.48 / 1.99 / 1.49 / 0.99; due from 1 April 2025.
Seville's Economic and Social Council criticised that holiday homes would pay less than 1 to 3-star hotels.
We have not confirmed final approval or the final rates. Check your bill or the Seville tax agency.

Other councils

We found no readable official bylaw from a Cádiz municipality with a separate rate for holiday homes. Look up your council's «tasa de residuos» and check for a hotel or holiday-home category.

Food waste: sort the organic fraction

Art. 25 of Law 7/2022:

Councils had to collect household food waste separately by 30 June 2022 (over 5,000 inhabitants) or 31 December 2023 (others).
Producers of commercial and industrial biowaste must separate it at source from 30 June 2022.
Maximum contamination in the organic bin: 20%, and 15% from 2027.
If you have a kitchen or restaurant, separate food waste and ask your council how it is collected.
«Large producers»: the law does not use the term in what we read; some bylaws may have their own rules (not checked).

Tap water in the restaurant

Art. 18.3: hospitality and catering businesses must always offer unpackaged water, free and in addition to their range.

Single-use plastic and toiletry miniatures

Arts. 55 and 56 and Annex IV of Law 7/2022:

Cups with lids and takeaway food containers: 50% reduction by weight in 2026 and 70% in 2030 compared with 2022.
Since 1 January 2023 these items are charged separately and itemised on the receipt.
Banned: cotton buds (except medical), cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, balloon sticks and expanded polystyrene cups and containers.
Single-portion items: the law asks for a move to alternatives, with no timetable.
Shampoo and gel miniatures: the national law does not mention them in what we read. Regional rules not checked.

Italy: TARI

We found no official national rule on whether a B&B or a short let pays TARI as a domestic or non-domestic user. It depends on each comune's TARI regulation: check yours.

Portugal: waste tariff

Examples from municipal rules:

Alter do Chão (Regulation 324/2026): domestic means residential use; non-domestic is everything else.
A fixed availability charge plus a variable charge by weight or volume, or per m³ of water if there is no pay-as-you-throw.
Gondomar 2025: domestic EUR 0.0823/day + EUR 0.7057/m³ of water; non-domestic EUR 0.3704/day + EUR 0.8026/m³.
Neither mentions Alojamento Local. National classification not confirmed: ask your câmara.

Greece: cleaning fees

Interior Ministry circular 80115 (29 November 2024), on Law 25/1975:

At least three general rates by use: housing, non-profit purposes and economic activity.
The municipality may set justified special rates; floor area counts.
It does not mention hotels or short-term rentals: ask your municipality which rate applies.

What to do (good practice)

Check the category and the number of beds on your bill.
Provide clearly labelled bins in the kitchen and rooms, with multilingual instructions.
Tell guests where the street bins are, especially in holiday rentals.
Choose refillable dispensers over miniatures: less waste, lower cost.

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Frequently asked questions

Do holiday rentals pay more for waste in Spain?

It depends on the council. Law 7/2022 requires a fee covering the real cost; Seville, for example, charges holiday homes per bed on top of the residential charge (2024 bylaw).

When did the new Spanish waste fee become mandatory?

Councils had three years from entry into force (10 April 2022): until 10 April 2025 (art. 11.3).

Are toiletry miniatures banned?

The Spanish national law does not mention them in what we read. Regional rules not checked.

Sources

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