A resident of Ramblars: «This is not normal, we have been abandoned for two months»
She explains that she can’t hang out her clothes to dry so she has to use a dryer – and her monthly electricity bill has soared.
Sunday 6th February 2022 – CARLOS LÓPEZ with Mike Smith
Fina is one of the residents who suffers from the silence of the fire at the Ramblars transfer plant. Last week she spoke with XAD, after speaking to regional television, the second time that public television attended the fire in less than seven days.
She explained that she suffers in her day to day the inconvenience of the smoke generated by the mountain of green waste that burns silently, next to which another pile of waste has been piled up since the local council decided not to close the plant until last Thursday.
A closure, two months and four days later, which coincidentally occurred after the Ecologistas en Acción de la Marina environmental protect group announced its intention to take the issue to the courts.
“You can’t open the windows, hang out the clothes, everything smells terrible,” explained Fina, who added that by not being able to hang clothes outside her home, which is about 200 metres from the plant, she has had to use the dryer more than usual and that has had a direct impact on the monthly electricity bill which “has risen to 300 euros”.
Fina commented that the Gorgos riverbed “acts like a basin” that receives smoke and the bad smell produced by combustion. Just as it reaches her home, it reaches the three urban centres as the wind blows. “In the mornings the windows can be opened, but at night it is impossible to go out, you breathe this smell all night.”
She continued “it’s horrible, you can’t live like this” and remarked “we’ve been quiet for a long time”, but she emphatically affirmed “it’s fine now”. And she asked if she has received any calls from the council, she replies emphatically “no, they haven’t said anything.” She, in fact, claimed that they are “abandoned” there.
While she talks with XAD, the garbage pile continues to burn silently and the firefighters have been working in the area with heavy machinery. Other workers from a local company are removing the remains with construction machines, there are also water tanks in the area.
It is curious that there is no green waste shredding machine, not one, not two… none, and the state-of-the-art hydrant at the entrance… well.
