Shock Plan Against Illegal Dumping in Alicante
The Local Government Board increases the annual cost by five million to double trucks, shovels, and special vehicles for these tasks
José Vicente Pérez Pardo
Alicante
Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 14:10
The Alicante City Council is set to launch a shock plan against the proliferation of illegal dumping sites in public spaces and scattered pruning waste. The Local Government Board has approved the first modification of the urban cleaning and waste collection contract, signed two years ago, with the aim of doubling the resources and personnel responsible for these tasks.
The annual budget increases by more than five million euros, raising the total from 40.4 to 41.2 million euros. The total contract amount rises from 323.3 million euros to 328 over the planned eight years. This funding will be used to hire nine operators and purchase five vehicles tasked with cleaning up plots with construction debris, rubble, and pruning waste.
The proliferation of these uncontrolled dumps is a problem in certain areas such as rural districts or the outskirts of the Cemetery neighborhood. Unfortunately, it is also common to see the rubble in the vicinity of Santa Faz, which must be removed before the Pilgrimage for the camps of those who wish to spend the festive day near the Hamlet.
Most Fined
23% of fines against the cleaning ordinance stem from the abandonment of rubble in public roads, according to municipal data provided after the last dumping control campaign conducted between February and March. Another 19% of fines were issued for unauthorized deposit of belongings.
The Socialist Group listed up to 400 dumping points of rubble in areas such as Rabassa, the Villafranqueza orchard, the Cemetery neighborhood, or the Espartal Industrial Estate. In this regard, Deputy Mayor Manuel Villar criticized the opposition for "taking photos and not reporting these situations" so that municipal services can act.
With this reinforcement, a brigade will be specifically dedicated to locating these illegal dumps and maintaining the public spaces of Alicante. Among the new machinery is heavy equipment, such as crane trucks or large-tonnage vehicles, capable of handling the waste and transporting it to the treatment plant.
Apart from the fines, the Alicante City Council organized a special cleaning campaign between February and March, resulting in a hundred fines in just ten days. The operation involved 36 agents of the Alicante Local Police.
However, the opposition criticizes this new measure. The municipal group EU-Podem has denounced the new modification of the cleaning and waste collection contract, managed by UTE Netial. "More than forty million euros a year for a service that still does not work, with dirty neighborhoods, broken containers, and overflowing bins. Instead of holding the company accountable, the PP rewards failure with more money," said its spokesperson, Manolo Copé. They demand "the termination of the contract due to repeated breaches of the terms and the remunicipalization of the service."
