By Peter Houghton
Nowhere is there more controversy or dissatisfaction than with the waste collection department, in what can only be described as a service not fit for purpose. Under the control of the same party, PP for 9 years, our mayor, deputy mayor and the councillor responsible all have to accept responsibility
If you were to drive around the coast on any day of the week you will find large mounds of discarded rubbish. These mounds can be so big they often block the pavements and a portion of the road. Sometimes this is the fault of the local residents, but the majority are found to be local fly tippers dumping their waste.
This can become a health hazard to the unfortunate resident who might be unfortunate to have an adjacent property.
Such rubbish often contains Garden and green waste, due to the fact of a massive shortage of bins and the general state of the bins. Many people with mobility problems have no other choice as they don’t have the upper body strength to open the heavy lid.
The fault for these unsightly rubbish tips lies firmly with the Orihuela Council as there is still no central waste disposal centre where bulky items or garden waste can be taken, facilities that are common in most Spanish towns.
There are very few containers for disposing of garden waste and there is a severe shortage of general waste bins. The few areas that are lucky enough to have a garden waste container located nearby will usually find that it is rarely emptied and huge piles of such rubbish flood across roads and pavements.
As this compost heap ferments in the heat of a Spanish day the smell of decay and plagues of flies and cockroaches invade local homes.
However, the roles played by many undisciplined householders have also to be acknowledged as part of the problem, with many just happy to dump their waste without consideration for their fellow residents, as long, of course, as it is not in front of their own front door.
Once garden waste has been discarded by the side of the rubbish bins it seems that it becomes open season, and everyone starts adding their own contribution to the ever growing pile. Things can also get worse when residents ignore the garbage bins entirely and start adding all types of bagged household rubbish onto the growing mounds.
Once these have been torn and ransacked by local wildlife the smell becomes intolerable. Many people have complained that they have seen mice and rats in these disgusting rubbish tips which clearly constitute health hazards.
If you were to drive around Orihuela city, however, you would never see the same degree of rubbish piles by the side of the garbage containers, some of it uncollected for weeks at a time. We need to ask ourselves why Orihuela Costa doesn’t receive the same standard of rubbish disposal as the city.
All residents pay for an equally efficient collection service, so is this another case of blatant discrimination against the coast where taxpayers are treated like second or even third-class citizens.
Other municipalities of Spain, by investing into resources, CCTV, increased fines, increased police patrols, dedicated hotline to report fly tipping etc, are able to control the situation, so it can be done, but the Orihuela Costa problem is that our council is not your typically run board.
