Xàbia begins to fence off rubbish collection zones to deter illegal dumping
An increase in illegal dumping and uncivil use of these zones has prompted the council to restrict their use to local residents by use of access cards.
Thursday 28th July 2022 · Mike Smith
Source: Ajuntament de Xàbia
One of the changes brought about by the new contract for the waste collection and street cleaning service is related to the ‘puntos verdes’, the many rubbish collection points located across the municipality. The growing uncivil use of these spaces, which suffer daily from waste being dumped outside the containers and where utensils, furniture and other materials are also dumped instead of being taken to the EcoParque, led to a reappraisal of the management of these points and the eventual decision to fence them off.
The intention of the Department of Services is that they can only be used by residents of the area that the ‘punt verde’ serves, who will be given an identification card that will allow them to access the enclosure. In addition, the site will have CCTV to control possible misuse and illegal dumping and to be able to fine those who do so.
The responsible councilor Kika Mata has explained that the change will not be immediate but, for the moment, fencing has begun to be installed in some of these points such as in the zones of Rafalet and Cansalades. In the coming months, the transition will be completed with the security system and residents will be contacted to manage the distribution of accreditations by address.
Mata has taken the opportunity to ask for citizen awareness on the issue of waste since the municipality dedicates a lot of resources to its maintenance and even then it does not manage to keep a decent public image. The councillor explained that all ‘puntos verdes’ are cleaned daily first thing in the morning but within a few hours their condition deteriorates, thanks to misuse.
Mata pointed out that behind this situation, in addition to uncivil citizen behavior, is the general change that is taking place in the waste sector at an industrial level. There are many companies that been obliged to accept toughened conditions and require them to classify and separate them depending on their hazard and characteristics. This has made illegal dumping proliferate not only in Xàbia, but at a general level. In fact, as the councillor points out, many of the cases that are being fined are companies, many of which are not even from the municipality, that are dedicated to removals or cleaning, gardening or construction and dumps bags filled with rubble, belongings or green industrial waste at the ‘puntos verdes’.
Puntos Verdes are municipal facilities which allow residents only to deposit domestic waste selectively, especially in the outlying urbanization areas. This includes organic waste, light packaging, paper and cardboard, glass, vegetable oil, clothing and footwear, and domestic garden waste. Everything else must be taken to the EcoParque located in Camí de les Sorts. The use of the ‘puntos verdes’ by professionals and those who do not live in Xàbia is prohibited and sanctions of up to 750 euros can be applied to those who flout the rules.
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