Orihuela, Spain – The Orihuela City Council is moving decisively to modernize its street cleaning and urban solid waste (USW) services with a landmark supply contract intended to renew nearly the entire municipal vehicle fleet in 2026. The Council anticipates that the first new vehicles could be operational on city streets as early as before Easter.
The City Council initiated the tender process in September, dividing the contract into five lots for the acquisition of essential equipment, including:
- Seven waste collection trucks
- Three 3,500 kg open-box trucks
- Four street sweepers
- One watering tanker truck
- One high-pressure cleaning unit
Councillor for Street Cleaning and USW, Rocío Ortuño, confirmed the high level of interest in the project, stating, “The tender has been very well received, with about ten specialized companies from the sector submitting bids. This demonstrates the interest in a service that is essential for our city.”
The total budget allocated for this contract is $3,493,788 (VAT included), making it the most significant investment in the service since its municipalization.
Over €7 Million Investment in Modernization
Councillor Ortuño emphasized that this new contract is the pinnacle of a series of investments that, throughout the current legislature, have already surpassed seven million euros.
The newly acquired vehicles will complement recent additions to the fleet, including:
- Six 3,500 kg tipper trucks
- Five pick-up and SUV type vehicles for staff and supervisors
- Five compactor collection trucks already in operation since August
Furthermore, the renewal of waste and recycling containers, which began last summer, is set to continue. A new tender worth €1.8 million will be launched shortly to acquire over 2,500 new containers, including the new fifth (organic waste) container.
Ortuño concluded that every action is aimed at both modernizing the service and ensuring that workers have access to the best machinery to carry out their duties under optimal conditions. “Our objective is clear: we want a cleaner Orihuela, and we are putting all our efforts into achieving that,” she affirmed.
