The City Council of Alicante has successfully doubled the collection of debris, bulky items, and pruning waste during the first half of 2026. From January to July, a total of 12,509 tonnes were collected, compared to 6,679 tonnes during the same period in 2025, marking an impressive 87% increase.
Rafael Alemañ, the councillor for Street Cleaning and Waste Management, credited this surge to the approval of the first modification of the contract with Netial, which has allowed for an increase in resources dedicated to the collection of abandoned waste. Additionally, the opening of a second ecopark on Calle Barítono Paco Latorre, located near Villafranqueza and the northern neighbourhoods, has significantly contributed to this achievement.
The new ecopark has facilitated the disposal of 9,849 tonnes of debris in the first seven months of 2026, representing a 106% increase from the 4,782 tonnes collected in 2025. The average monthly collection has risen from 683 to 1,407 tonnes.
Moreover, the removal of abandoned waste has increased by 40%, with 2,660 tonnes collected between January and July 2026, compared to 1,897 tonnes in the previous year. To support these efforts, two collection teams have been deployed, each consisting of a loader and two collection vehicles.
Alemañ highlighted that the modification of the street cleaning contract with Netial has injected an additional €750,000 annually to bolster the removal of waste resulting from civic neglect. This enhancement has led to the addition of a new specialised team comprising nine workers and five heavy vehicles.
The collection of pruning waste has also seen significant improvement, increasing from 55.28 tonnes in 2025 to 200 tonnes in 2026, a rise of 144.72 tonnes. The City Council has received over 30 calls regarding the collection of abandoned fibrocement, which must be removed by authorised companies. Residents are encouraged to report any instances of fibrocement found in public areas.
Since the implementation of the cleaning contract, three modifications have been made, amounting to nearly €7 million annually, aimed at expanding the resources and capacity of collection and cleaning services until 2031, raising the total contract value to €377 million.
