Residents slam ‘insufficient’ summer street cleaning and rubbish collection reinforcements for Orihuela Costa
The long-awaited reinforcement of street cleaning and rubbish collection in Orihuela Costa for the summer was announced by the town hall on Friday.
However, the Cabo Roig and Lomas residents’ association (AVCRL) argue that the measures are nowhere near enough and council promises made last year have not been kept.
The councillor responsible for the service, Rocio Ortuño said the extra human and material resources were being brought in to cope with the additional waste generated by the arrival of residents and tourists ‘who multiply the population considerably’ – although residents have been vociferously complaining about the inadequacies of the service throughout quieter times of year as well.
An additional 50 side-loading communal bins have been rented just for the coast, where 29 extra workers have been hired for the summer to support the current workforce of 92 people, she explained.
There is also a truck with a crane hoist to help collect garden cuttings, and a contract has been put out to tender to supply and empty containers for waste from cleaning streets, beaches and gardens.
And for beaches, the council has acquired a tractor with implements to clean the sand, and now has a contract to remove the dead seagrass which has accumulated on the shore and take it to a resource recovery plant.
The municipal company for employing people with disabilities, Ildo will be given the job of cleaning the street cleaning and rubbish collection service work centres and premises.
All this represents an additional cost of €700,000, not including the investment which is planned to acquire new machinery, such as rubbish collection trucks, containers, street sweepers and tools to keep improving the service and conditions for workers, Sra Ortuño explained.
Orihuela town hall is also hoping that the new local police environment and administrative unit (UMAD) will guard problematic areas against fly-tipping of garden cuttings, construction waste, furniture, etc.
AVCRL point out that Orihuela Costa is still waiting for 1,000 new containers that were promised in September last year, along with new collection trucks, leaf blowers, a street washing vehicle and other machinery ‘necessary to provide a minimally decent service’
“The new personnel sent to the coast this summer is insufficient,” they assert, insisting that more drivers and labourers are needed.
“Orihuela Costa has never had fewer resources at this time of year because personnel who should be working on the coast are doing so in the city, which has to be clean for the celebration of the Moors and Christians fiestas.”
The association published almost 30 photos, taken on Sunday, which show seaweed still uncollected from the beaches, broken communal bins with rubbish on the pavement, and streets and promenades covered in dirt.
The photo accompanying this article was taken on Monday at a notorious fly-tipping spot on Calle Venezuela in El Presidente, which has only remained clear for a short while when it was cordoned off by local police last year, but became a regular dumping ground for all sorts of waste again as soon as the police tape was removed.
AVCRL asked: “How long will Orihuela Costa continue being denied what it needs for dignified living?” and, “Is the town hall going to keep using propaganda to deny the reality.”
They demanded to know whether Sra Ortuño will turn up as requested to the next district committee meeting to give explanations, and whether the councillor for the coast, Manuel Mestre will continue to allow this state of affairs.
