Email
Quesada.
August 16
Dear Sir,
I wonder if I could put a question to Mr. John Kirby, your town planning expert.
Do residents have any rights if a town council is putting large recycle bins outside of their property? The councillor responsible has not considered that this can reduce the value of a property and make it more difficult to sell.
There is also the nuisance aspect when residents drop rubbish into these bins especially in a recycle bin for glass.
Can an owner of such a property appeal to the council or a higher authority?
Regards,
Ken Jones
Reply from John Kirby:
¡Hey Ken,
Thanks for the question, which is a very valid and frequent one. How I wish municipal technicians didn’t have to deal with the placement of bins, it causes no end of trouble.
Everyone wants their rubbish collected and no-one wants it outside their house but, they have to go somewhere. The Goldilocks distance, not too far or too close, is relative and personal. As such it’s almost impossible to please everyone, or even most people.
The decision as to where the bins go is of course a municipal one, so the council decides.
Specifically, the councillor for town planning, Concejal de Urbanísmo, supported by their technician who will let them know what the technical options are. They are very aware of the dilemma, people are very rarely happy with the distance to the bins, so you are not going to surprise them with a complaint. If I were in your situation I would do the following; think of alternative (better) place for the bins, go to the council and make a suggestion through the front desk, get it stamped (registro de entrada) and request a meeting with the councillor to discuss your alternative.
Best of luck,
John.
