Increased Suma charge for recycling waste

On what basis are you thinking of challenging it? 

Been on here many times. This is an EU rule which makes the users pay for the actual cost of waste removal and disposal without it being subsidised as in the past. Applies to everyone and, in Playa Flamenca, you've just started paying it whereas other places, like ours, have been paying the extra for the last 2 years.

Yes, Orihuela Costa has gone up a fair bit but it has been subsidised by other areas in Orihuela and by the council for some time. A 2 bed flat in one area of Orihuela has been paying more for their waste removal than those nice 3 bed detached houses in Playa Flamenca have for some time.

However, the 285% to 340% increase in charges has been challenged and protested about but I don't think anything has come of it. The charges in that area were quite low compared to others and I would be interested if you could find how to challenge it considering it is a EU directive which has hit many in Spain but Orihuela has a bad reputation for collection and disposal in the past. 

Some places continued to subsidise the fees (ours didn't hence paying it for a few years) but that has been banned by the EU rule which is trying to make people realise how much it actually costs for these services.

For example, Torrevieja, until these rises, only received 38% in taxes of the actual amount they paid. Prior to this year, Orihuela collected 6.5 million euro in taxes for waste collection whilst actually spending 15 million euro to pay for it or about the 285% that the costs have risen to.

I am totally aware that this is a result of an EU ruling but was following up on an article in the Ieader back in May/June time. In it the article provided an appeal in Spanish quoting various rules by which the charges should be calculated. These were things such as occupancy levels  whether it was occupied 365 days a year etc. This is just a blanket charge with the same for everyone which appeared to be unlawful. I was merely questioning if anybody managed to successfully challenge the blanket charge and was successful?

Council taxes are blanket charges that pay for services irrespective of the usage of those services by that property/household.

Not a chance it gets declared illegal - just greasing the palms of lawyers.

It probably wouldn't be so high if people would stop throwing their rubbish beside the bins, instead of in them. It means the council has to employ extra workers to clean up after them. 

The waste collection in Orihuela Costa is consistently poor, it has been for many years. Earlier this year (May) in Los Dolses I had to go around several bins just to find one that space to dump non-recyclable waste. I could find none that had space for recycing. I took it home again and tried later in the week. Many people leave their bags at the side of full bins, I don't agree with this but it is uderstandable. I don't think they employ extra staff to collect the waste 

 If the argument is that waste collection is being subsidised and the council have now removed that subsidy by charging the full cost directly, what has happened to the money they were using to subsidise the service? Has there been a corresponding reduction in charges somewhere else? 

Aitch.

Hahahahaha.

A reduction in taxes. Have you already been on the beer today?

Totally agree about the waste collection shambles in and around Los Dolses. It's been that way for as long as I can recall - I don't mind periodic collections etc, but it'd be nice if the days they actually collected it were consistent.

Just seems to be a random day and time whenever they feel like it which probably contributes to the attitude of "I'll leave it there by the side of the bins cos god knows when they'll actually turn up".

Would be nice to have some designated larger waste collection areas (as I have seen in some other places while out on my bike) as opposed to having to phone the council and advise them - yeah, like anyone ever does that; it's just dumped by the general waste bins and collected at some point over the next month or so.

I never drink before lunchtime, though sometimes I do have an early lunch!

I hoped you were going to say that the waste collection had improved dramatically in the second half of the year and we would find the area pristine when we turn up this month. That probably confirms your earlier point about my drinking habits.

  I suppose Orihuela City will be getting even more improvements to public areas and services. 

Rgds,

Aitch.

Well, the papers are full of the new actions being taken out in the Orihuela Costa area on road repairs and new waste collection vehicles. Much is being made of the amount of money they are spending on 4 new waste collection vehicles at €4.3 million plus new machinery for the urban cleaning services.

Don't know if this has started or if the vehicles have actually arrived but the new costs are nothing to do with Orihuela council but a EU directive so householders are actually aware of the cost of providing these facilities.

Who knows? I may be able to drive to Zenia Boulevard soon without being attacked by potholes and collapsing speed bumps.