A legal challenge has halted plans to introduce door-to-door rubbish collection and improve street cleaning in Los Montesinos.
The Town Council has suspended the tender for its new waste collection contract after PreZero España appealed against the terms of the competition. PreZero currently provides the municipality’s waste service.
The contract, worth €5.38 million over ten years, is the largest ever put out to tender by Los Montesinos Town Council. It would cover household waste collection, street sweeping and cleaning services.
PreZero claims that the staffing costs included in the tender documents do not match the actual cost of the employees whom the successful contractor would be required to retain. The company is asking for the tender conditions to be cancelled and replaced with new documents that comply with contracting rules.
Mayor José Manuel Butrón Sánchez has ordered the bidding process to be suspended while the Central Administrative Court of Contractual Appeals considers the case.
The appeal creates an unusual situation because PreZero has provided the service without a current contract for around five years. As the existing operator, it is also the company most familiar with the workforce and its employment costs.
Municipal reports suggest that the original calculations were prepared without complete information about those costs. PreZero later submitted updated employment figures so officials could examine whether the tender conditions need to be changed.
Door-to-door collection plans delayed
The proposed service would cost the council an average of around €538,000 a year. Los Montesinos hoped to follow Dolores and Daya Vieja by introducing door-to-door waste collection.
Catral previously introduced a full door-to-door system but later reduced it following opposition from some residents.
Los Montesinos has already spent about €527,000 preparing for the new collection model, using contracts linked to European funding.
This includes €93,000 for an electric rubbish truck and a further €434,000 for more than 10,000 household bins and containers, compostable bags, used cooking-oil funnels and an electronic system to identify users and monitor collections.
Door-to-door collection requires residents to place different types of waste outside their homes at set times. Supporters say it improves recycling, reduces mixed waste and can lower treatment and landfill costs.
The system may be suitable for Los Montesinos because the municipality has many single-storey homes and terraced developments. However, some residents have expressed concerns about how the scheme would operate.
The appeal now leaves the new service on hold. The council must wait for the tribunal’s decision or amend the tender documents if PreZero’s challenge succeeds.
Meanwhile, the local residents’ association has continued to complain about the condition of the existing service, particularly dirty and poorly maintained communal bins.
Following several weeks of public disagreement between the association and the PSOE-led council, the municipality has now secured a commitment from PreZero to clean the containers.
