Ruymán Cardoso: “We will ensure that the provisionally awarded company has great technical and financial solvency until the contract is finally awarded”
Alejandro Marichal: “A drastic decision must be taken to put an end to the garbage chaos until the new definitive contract is formalized. The first thing is to guarantee the well-being of our neighbors and the good image of our municipality.”
Due to the poor performance in the provision of the selective waste collection service and the inadequacy of the solutions proposed by the current contracting company, the Department of Cleaning of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, with the support of a report from Public Health, has decided to immediately terminate the contract with Urbaser. Likewise, it has decided to process the contracting of a new company through the Emergency Route, with the aim of offering an effective solution to the current situation.
The first deputy mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Alejandro Marichal, explained: “Since 2019 we have been operating with a service in a precarious situation, given that the contract expired that year. Despite the efforts made, the situation has become unsustainable. The priority is the residents and the image of the main tourist municipality on the Island. Therefore, we have made the decision to terminate the contract and act immediately to temporarily alleviate the problem until the new contract is awarded.”
The new final award is expected to take place in the first half of 2025. In the meantime, the Department of Cleaning, led by Ruymán Cardoso, is committed to stabilising the situation by hiring a company that guarantees an efficient service and prevents the accumulation of waste. According to Cardoso, “this measure will allow a provisional improvement of the service until the final contract is awarded. We will ensure that the provisionally awarded company has the technical and financial solvency necessary to offer an effective solution in the short term.”
It should be noted that the original contract regulating the waste collection service expired in 2019, and since then the company Urbaser has provided the service on a provisional basis. However, in recent weeks, significant deficiencies have been revealed, mainly due to recurrent failures in the trucks and insufficient staff, according to the company itself.
Despite repeated demands from the Department of Cleaning for Urbaser to take immediate measures, such as renting an additional truck to reinforce the collection, the problems persisted, generating an accumulation of cardboard and packaging at the collection points. In addition, in the last three months there have been more than six fires that have destroyed 23 selective collection containers, which has further aggravated the situation and increased the pressure on the waste system.
In November 2024, the Department of Cleaning began the tendering process to award a new contract to definitively resolve these deficiencies. The award of the new contract is expected to take place in the first half of 2025, which will ensure the end of the current situation with a more efficient service adapted to the needs of the municipality.
