Following recent neighbour complaints regarding the rubbish and debris accumulating for days in various areas of the capital, the Councillor for Public Services, Carlos Tarife, has stated that the issue is due to “a failure among residents to properly use the waste bins.”
In this regard, the councillor reminded the public that the workers at Valoriza, the company responsible for municipal cleaning and urban waste collection, “are not there to pick up rubbish from the ground. It is the civic duty of residents to dispose of waste correctly, as there are bins and litter bins provided for this purpose.”
Moreover, he emphasised that “the current municipal ordinance imposes fines ranging from €2,500 on those who engage in such behaviour, especially when there is a free collection service for bulky items available at 922224849.”
Tarife defended the cleaning service run by the local council amid various public complaints regarding cleanliness in neighbourhoods like Uruguay, and on streets such as Bernardino Seman and Avenida Luis Celso, among others. Consequently, the councillor asserted that “we have an excellent waste management ordinance that allows for penalties against those who fail to comply.”
Additionally, the first deputy mayor stated that “the Public Services department will urge the Local Police to carry out a campaign of fines for those who wish to create disorder in this city.”
Tarife’s comments, made via social media, received swift responses from residents, many of whom argued that “it is the council’s responsibility to keep the city clean and to sweep the streets daily, as well as to maintain the irrigation systems in the gardens where plants are wilting. Is this also the citizens’ fault? It is unbearable that we pay taxes to endure all this and more,” noted one resident.
It is worth mentioning that in January 2023, the municipal ordinance for waste management and the cleaning of public spaces came into effect, following its approval by the City Council on 26 December 2022.
The regulations stipulate that penalties vary depending on the severity of the offence. Minor offences, such as urinating or spitting in public, can incur fines of up to €750, while serious offences, like disposing of waste outside of designated bins, carry fines ranging from €2,000 to €100,000. Specific fines of €2,500 have been issued for leaving bags of rubbish outside bins.
Fines of the same amount apply for failing to adhere to the designated waste disposal times, which are from 19:00 to 21:00 hours, as well as misusing bins for purposes other than intended and failing to extinguish cigars, cigarettes, or other burning items before disposal in designated litter bins.
The ordinance also allows for fines of up to €3,000 for very serious infractions, €1,500 for serious infractions, and €750 for minor infractions.
Fines are imposed for depositing waste outside of the bins, extracting or rummaging through waste once it has been placed for collection by municipal services, and disposing of animal by-products, including whole or parts of animals, as well as animal products not intended for human consumption.
Furthermore, it is prohibited to dispose of waste directly without bagging it, except in expressly defined cases (glass and paper/cardboard), or to put liquid waste in the bins.
Parque La Hoya
On another note, Carlos Tarife has also raised concerns about the state of La Hoya Park, located in the southwest of the capital, which has been found with ripped bins and displaced furniture. “This is a place to take children or pets and to exercise, but there is a fool who keeps vandalising public furniture. Fortunately, in Santa Cruz, we are more people who are doing things right,” the councillor pointed out.
