The Orihuela City Council has awarded five lots of a new contract to modernise the street cleaning and urban solid waste service. The objective is to renew virtually the entire fleet of vehicles this year for 3,493,788 euros. This amount represents the most significant investment since the garbage collection was municipalised.
It was anticipated that the new vehicles would be visible on the roadways of the municipality prior to Easter, the date on which the lucrative contract was ultimately awarded. In September, the contract was issued for the procurement of seven waste collection vehicles, three 3,500-kilo open box trucks, four sweepers, a water tanker truck, and a pressure washing unit. A dozen companies that specialise in the sector submitted proposals, and the competition was well-received.
Equipos Femazz has secured lot 1, which comprises three rear-loading and four side-loading collection vehicles, for a sum of 1,850,695 euros. Volvo Group Spain has acquired lot 4, which comprises a cargo truck, for 174,240 euros.
Sistemas y Vehículos Alta Tecnología emerged as the successful bidder for lot 3, which consisted of sweepers, at a price of 1,080,695 euros. Fruehauf Recambios secured lots 2 and 5, which consisted of three 3,500 kilo vehicles (two with rear column platforms and one with a grapple crane), as well as a pressure washer, at a price of 193,540 and 107,554 euros, respectively.
Investing
This contract is a component of a succession of investments that have been made over the course of the term and total more than 6 million euros. These investments include the five collection trucks that have been in operation since August, which have cost nearly 1.3 million.
The City Council has also completed the renewal of waste and recycling containers, which began last summer and cost a total of 800,000 euros. It is currently anticipating a new tender of 1.8 million euros to acquire over 2,500 containers, including those for the organic fraction.
Furthermore, it has issued a tender for the rental, collection and transportation of containers for the storage of refuse generated during street cleaning, beach cleaning, pruning waste and household goods in the middle of the month. The budget for this service is 242,292 euros.
The first phase of the contract pertains to the rental, collection, and transportation of 5-cubic-meter containers for the disposal of refuse produced by mechanical sweepers and beach cleaning operations.. This phase involves the installation of four containers in the town centre and one along the coast, with the potential for expansion during the high season.
The second batch comprises 30-cubic-metre containers for the collection of pruning debris and bulky items. Four containers are located in the city centre, while six are situated along the coast. The waste that is deposited in these containers will subsequently be transported to a treatment facility that is authorised to process it in accordance with current regulations.
Municipal organisation
The council authorised the commissioning of the municipal corporation Environmental Management Service (SGM) to be responsible for the maintenance of the coastal roads and the collection of waste in an extraordinary session in May. The waste collection service was anticipated to commence in the final quarter of 2025, while the former was initiated in July. The public company is currently in the process of selecting its personnel and has made significant progress.
After the selection committee verified that the candidates fulfilled the criteria outlined in the call for applications, the list of candidates for the selection process to establish a temporary employment pool for a Human Resources manager has been published. The ten candidates include Dámaso Aparicio, who was appointed manager with a salary of up to €80,000 per year. This position will take effect after the selection process, and Mariola Rocamora, a former councillor during Emilio Bascuñana’s term. Rocamora has been requested to provide proof of her qualifications, as she submitted a university diploma, but the position requires a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
The City Council commissioned a report from a company for 9,680 euros, the same company that determined the viability of the contract awarded to Ildo for the maintenance of the green areas of the Coast. The report estimated the expenses of the service through the municipal company at 21,367,996 euros, which represented a savings of 628,685 euros for the municipal coffers compared to the current management structure.
The PP-Vox coalition government is contemplating an investment of nearly 20 million euros over the next six years to enhance a service that has not been updated since it was municipalised in 2012. The resources for this project were bequeathed from the previous contractor and are based on a 2008 contract. This has led to public frustration, as well as an outdated fleet of trucks that frequently breakdown and create logistical issues. The garbage collection charge has also been a significant burden on residents, as it has increased from 70 euros per year to 202 euros.
Recyclability
The Local refuse Plan is the roadmap, which will establish a pay-as-you-throw system that will reward and penalise households based on the quantity of refuse they produce. Separate collection has not been expanded in the municipality, with the exception of glass, thus far. The year 2023 saw the production of 54,945 tonnes of waste, with a population of 82,449, of which 68% was processed for recycling. The percentage will decrease to 40% as only biowaste that has been separately collected will be considered recycled starting in 2027.
When waste is properly separated, it transitions from an expense to a potential source of income for the municipality. This is due to the value of recyclable materials and the reduction in treatment fees that result from the reduced quantity of waste in need of management. It is crucial to bear in mind that the waste is transported to the transfer station of the Vega Baja Sostenible Consortium in Dolores after it has been collected. Subsequently, it is transferred to a variety of treatment plants, resulting in an increase in costs due to the region’s dearth of infrastructure. In the interim, Orihuela is opposed to the establishment of a treatment facility in Torremendo.
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