ORIHUELA COSTA - WHAT A MESS!

Despite the promises of the new government team, many rubbish bins in the Orihuela Costa continue to overflow with waste, with, in many cases, an equal amount or more dumped indiscriminately by the roadside.

Indeed, according to the Cabo Roig and Lomas-Orihuela Costa Neighbourhood Association (AVCRL), the situation has deteriorated in recent weeks since their meeting with the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for the Coast, Manuel Mestre (Vox) and Rocío Ortuño (PP) where they asked that situation be given priority.

According to a complaint that they have registered with the council in it’s electronic headquarters the Association says that there are "serious failures" in the collection of waste in multiple neighbourhoods and urbanizations of Orihuela Costa which, because of the shocking photographs being published on Social Media, are now beginning to attract international attention.

Hundreds of images show evidence of "the appalling situation" caused by the lack of cleanliness on roads such as Naranjo, Carolinas, Cabo de Gata, Tourmaline, Garnet, Turquoise, Guapiles, Niagara, Agua, Aire, Panticosa, Sagittarius, and many others, concentrated in the northern sector of this large residential area of the Coast that extends along 15 kilometres.

According to the reports, much of the rubbish has been accumulating for several days, without being collected, causing "significant nuisance to the neighbourhood in the form of doors, rodents and the terrible image that threatens the dignity of many residents and their quality of life."

The Association warns that if the public service, which depends on both the Councillor of the Coast, Manuel Mestre

(Vox)and the Councillor for Urban Cleaning, Rocío Ortuño, does not improve, the situation will be denounced at the very highest level, so that it ceases to be an attack on public hygiene and health.

Orihuela Costa is an area of the municipality that multiplies its population from the 30,000 registered residents to more than 200,000 in the summer, where the means waste collection, entirely municipal, can barely cope ‘out of season’ so it comes as no surprise that the service is completely overwhelmed during the summer.

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR

A development on Thursday afternoon saw the Mayor become directly involved, at long last seemingly showing some concern for the residents of the coast.

In a letter written to the Secretary of AVCRL, Tomás Moreno. the mayor wrote.......

“Good afternoon Tomás,

We are going to change Orihuela Costa in such an absolute way that it will not look the same.

We are already working on everything, but there are things that we cannot do faster than we are doing them.

I know it is probably unfair to ask for some patience, but I can also tell you that you are going to have to be less patient than you think.”

Pepe Vegara

So, at long last an acknowledgement by the mayor of the plight of Orihuela Costa residents. We can only hope that he is true to his word.