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New bins in Alhama to tackle rubbish piles
Town Council adds extra bins to key areas as part of ongoing waste management improvements
The Town Council of Alhama de Murcia is stepping up its waste collection service by installing more bins in areas where there is the greatest accumulation of rubbish. This was announced today by Mayor Rosa Sánchez, and the Councillor for Public Services, Antonio García."In January, we requested a detailed report from the waste management company to address these critical issues. At the same time, we received numerous letters from residents, many of which had gone unanswered for over a year. This has helped us get a clearer understanding of the situation," said Sánchez.
The new bins are already being set up in various locations, including the town centre and streets such as Calle Tierra, Ginés Campos Avenue, Calle Brasil, Don Diego Rambla, España Avenue, Calle La Perdiz and the Los Tejares and Almendrico roads, among others.
The Mayor also announced a thorough clean-up of rural areas where debris and other waste have been dumped. "I want to emphasise that we have a very good street cleaning contract in Alhama, which gives us many opportunities and has allowed us to anticipate European regulations with accessible containers," Sánchez explained.
She also highlighted that, "Where there was previously only a green bin, we now have separate containers for residual waste, packaging, cardboard, and glass. Soon, there will also be a brown bin for organic waste."
Councilor García noted that with the new contract, "All cleaning service equipment has been completely renovated, using the latest technology. The new containers have a lower visual impact, and the collection capacity for all types of waste has tripled in the municipality. There is no excuse for trash to remain outside the containers."
A significant improvement so far has been the introduction of door-to-door waste collection at the industrial park. "Other municipalities in the region are coming to learn from this service, which isn’t available anywhere else in the Autonomous Community. It’s more commonly found in northern Spain, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands," said García.
The town’s waste management ordinance, which sets the guidelines for the civic use of the containers, specify certain hours for depositing rubbish (from 8.00pm to 11.00pm) and a penalty system for noncompliance. "Every day, we find bags left outside the containers when they are either empty or half full. This is a real problem," Sánchez commented.
Waste collection workers have also expressed concerns about this issue. "We take the truck out every day, yet we continue to find a lot of trash outside the bins, even when they aren’t full," said Francisco Javier Solano, service manager for STV, the waste collection company. "As part of our reinforcement efforts, we spend over an hour collecting rubbish outside the containers."The Town Council also offers a free collection service for household goods and waste from small jobs or light gardening. Residents can arrange this service by calling 603 566 419.
In the future, the Town Council plans to start an outreach campaign to connect with residents. This will help determine other problematic areas, with the aim of improving the overall image of the city.
For more information about Alhama, including news and upcoming events, visit the local tourist office or go to the home page of Alhama Today
Image: Ayuntamiento de Alhama de Murcia
