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Council begins removing illegally dumped rubbish in Orihuela Costa
The clean-up operation has started in Campoamor but will extend to dozens of urbanisations
Following months if not years of continuous complaints, the City Council has finally started tacking illegal dumping on the streets of the Orihuela Costa. The authorities claim the clean-up was prompted by road safety concerns, but residents have also relentlessly pointed out that the piles of trash are a serious health hazard as well as an eyesore.The Department of the Environment has started the work in Campoamor, next to the Nacimiento river ravine, but according to the Cabo Roig and Lomas Residents' Association (AVCRL), there are almost 40 other illegal dumping sites in the area to be tackled.
The current cleaning operation, however, is just an emergency measure until the Council secures a 12-month contract. Unfortunately, the job wasn’t put out to tender until the summer season was already over, which has allowed the rubbish to pile up at an alarming rate.
Over the last few months, the situation has got so bad that locals have taken it upon themselves to clear up the debris around bins in various urbanisations, but this isn’t a long-term solution.Across Orihuela Costa, the problem is two-fold. On the one hand, residents, holidaymakers and second home owners repeatedly dump household items and garden cuttings onto the streets beside the bins, despite the fact that this is strictly prohibited. On the other, countless builders and trades people have been abandoning their rubble also rather than paying for authorised landfills.
To make matters worse, there aren’t nearly enough police officers patrolling the Orihuela Costa to catch everyone in the act of illegal dumping and only a small handful has ever been hit with fines.
To combat this, the City Council has set up a specific brigade of the Local Police, the so-called Environmental and Administrative Unit (UMAD). The new unit, put together in June, is permanently made up of eight agents, on morning and afternoon shifts, who are led by an inspector and have a direct telephone line.
As the clean-up continues, Orihuela Council has reminded households that everyone is entitled to take rubble and large waste items to the mobile eco-park, which is part of the Vega Baja Waste Consortium.
Images: AVCRL/Ayuntamiento de Orihuela
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