Orihuela will lease four new refuse collection trucks that are intended to replace worn and outdated vehicles currently making up the fleet.
The contract will be for the acquisition of 2 rear-loading compactor vehicles and two side-loading vehicles, the cost of which will be 1,956,860 euros (VAT included) for the 60-month contract, with maintenance costs included.
Two of the new refuse trucks will go to the service in Orihuela Costa, where residents have criticised the lack of cleanliness in the area. The other two vehicles will provide refuse and waste collection in the urban area of Orihuela and its outlying districts.
The councillor for Road Cleaning, Damaso Aparicio, explained that “the proposal is currently going through the Government Board, and once approved, the vehicles will be obtained.”
The 17 collection trucks that the service currently operates are in very poor condition due to their age, their use and the cost of their continuous repairs. In addition, they use a large amount of fuel. Most have exceeded their lifespan.
In 2017, the repair and mechanical maintenance contract alone was 314,000 euros.
Without a waste transfer plant in the region, the trucks travel dozens of kilometres every day to dispose of the rubbish at landfill sites in Xixona and Murcia.
