Madrid keeps the waste collection fee despite residents’ appeals

The Deputy Mayor and municipal spokesperson, Inma Sanz, has argued that the City Council is obliged to maintain the ordinance, even though the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid annulled it due to procedural flaws. The final decision now rests with the Tribunal Supremo.

The dispute has been ongoing for months and directly affects thousands of households and businesses. The fee is intended to cover the cost of urban waste services, but its introduction has sparked strong public and political opposition in the capital.

According to the City Council, more than 130,000 Madrid residents have filed appeals to claim back the amounts paid. The figure shows the scale of a controversy that is felt in the neighbourhoods, especially among families and small businesses that have seen their municipal expenses rise.

The ruling from the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid came in March 2026 and declared the fee void for violating the right to public participation during the consultation process. The lack of essential documentation in that process was one of the key points in the decision.

The City Council decided to appeal to the Supreme Court, so the matter is now in the hands of the Tribunal Supremo. Until a final decision is reached, the City Council will continue to collect the fee and maintains that it cannot remove it on its own initiative while national legislation still requires its application.

From Cibeles, they also insist that they have never agreed with this tax as it is currently designed. The municipal position is that the central government should give councils more leeway to decide whether to apply the fee, how to calculate it, or whether they can cover the cost of the service by other means.

For residents, the situation creates uncertainty. Many have already paid the bill, others have appealed, and some are waiting to find out if there will be refunds should the Supreme Court uphold the annulment. The lack of a definitive answer complicates planning for households, homeowners’ associations, and businesses.

The waste collection fee is no minor issue within the municipal budget. Collecting, transporting, and treating waste requires a daily network of trucks, workers, plants, containers, and services operating in every district of the city.

The debate is about how this system is paid for and according to what criteria. National law pushes for the cost of the service to be reflected in a specific fee, but many residents question the calculation, the process, and the real impact on already stretched household budgets.

Madrid is therefore awaiting a court decision that could determine the future of the ordinance. Until then, the fee will remain in place and the conflict will continue between legal obligations, citizens’ appeals, and a fundamental question: how much should each resident pay for an essential service the city needs every day.