Dámaso Aparicio, a former PP councillor and current adviser to the party in Orihuela, is expected to be officially appointed this month as manager of Servicio de Gestión Medioambiental de Orihuela (SGM), the municipal company responsible for waste services and coastal road maintenance under the Ecoplan brand.
The move has long been viewed by critics as Orihuela’s worst-kept secret. His appointment is due to be approved at the next board meeting, expected before the end of the month, where the PP-Vox coalition holds the majority needed to validate the selection panel’s proposal.
Aparicio became the only remaining candidate after three of the four applicants were excluded for failing to submit the required documentation. Once confirmed, and once the waste contract is formally assigned to SGM, he could earn up to €80,000 a year: €50,000 fixed salary plus up to €30,000 in variable pay approved by the company’s board.
Until now, Aparicio has been receiving €40,000 a year as a PP adviser, although he has already been acting as provisional manager.
Opposition parties Cambiemos, PSOE and Ciudadanos have criticised the process, accusing the council of opacity and suggesting municipal company recruitment is being shaped around politically connected figures. Cambiemos councillor Leticia Pertegal said public posts should not be used to reward political loyalty.
SGM is also recruiting staff, including for a temporary human resources technician pool, where Aparicio himself appears among the candidates.
Orihuela Council approved the transfer of coastal road maintenance and waste services to SGM a year ago. Road maintenance began in July, but the waste service, originally expected to start in late 2025, has still not begun. A council-commissioned report estimated municipal management would cost €21.37 million and save around €628,685 compared with the current system.
The PP-Vox government plans to invest almost €20 million over six years to modernise the service, which has not been fully updated since it was municipalised in 2012. But residents continue to complain about dirty streets and a sharp rise in waste charges, which have gone from €70 to €202 a year.
The council says its Local Waste Plan will introduce a “pay-as-you-throw” system, but recycling remains a major challenge. Future rules could reduce Orihuela’s reported recycling rate unless separately collected bio-waste improves.
