Sant Joan Freezes Waste Collection Fee Increase Until 2026

The Sant Joan d'Alacant Town Council approved on Tuesday the suspension of the implementation of the fiscal ordinance regulating the waste management service. The fee was supposed to come into effect at the beginning of 2026, but with the proposal approved in an Extraordinary Council Meeting, it will not impact the taxpayer's pocket until the new waste collection and cleaning contract is operational.

The proposal by the Mayor of Sant Joan, Santiago Román, received unanimous support from all political groups (PP, PSOE, Vox, and Compromís). The initiative stipulates that the fiscal ordinance regulating the fee for the waste collection, transfer, and treatment service will not come into effect until January 1 of the year following the start of the new urban waste collection and street cleaning services contract. In other words, until the new contract, which should include service improvements, is operational, citizens will not pay more for street cleaning and waste collection.

Thus, it has been agreed to reinstate the previous fiscal ordinance for the urban solid waste collection service, approved in December 2012. This change means that the bill each Sant Joan taxpayer pays in 2026 will remain at 59 euros and will not rise to 114 euros, as previously planned.

According to the Mayor, Santiago Román, "what we are doing from the Government team is an exercise of responsibility against the irresponsibility of Pedro Sánchez's government, which by law has turned recycling into a tax increase for citizens." He also added that "in Sant Joan, this tax did not increase in 2025 and will not increase in 2026, and we will continue working to ensure that this remains the case and that a Popular Party government in Moncloa ends this unjust law," Román emphasized.

The Mayor also lamented the attitude of the socialist municipal group "for attempting to politicize such an important issue as nullifying the waste fee increase for all citizens. The spokesperson even described the Council Meeting as a "botched job." According to the Mayor, in this session, "what should have prevailed is consensus and responsibility, as demonstrated by PP, Vox, and Compromís, far from the belligerent and regrettable atmosphere of the socialist municipal group, who I am sure would have voted against this important measure if they had had enough votes to overturn it."