Past week, coinciding with the beginning of the tourist season, we implemented the new Urban Cleaning Plan for Sitges. The campaign’s main goal was to improve the image of the entire municipality, especially all the busiest streets, and generate an optimum balance between services and the arrival of visitors.
The Plan is divided in two stages; the first was implemented past week and involves reinforcement of cleaning workers during weekends. The second stage will begin during the second half of June, when such reinforcement will be carried out daily. Such increase in service will include streets in the town center, the ones that receive a larger pounding from visitors and tourists, and involve the use of more workers and also more equipment (trucks, hoses, etc.).
The Plan is not only concerned with cleaner streets, but is also centered in the selective collection on shops, that will also see an increase in frequency and service. In such a way, one more person will work collecting cardboard, glass collection period will be increased by one day and there is an additional service involved in garbage disposal from garbage containers located around the town center.
Some of the above measures will be plain to see for residents and tourists, since streets will be cleaner. Other measures will not be as evident, but are equally essential to achieve the levels of cleanliness, healthiness and quality that we want in our municipality.
I’m fully aware that during our immediate past, the streets of Sitges experienced many issues related with cleanliness and their ensuing bad image. The service was not up to par during a long time, so the correction of such situation is a top priority for Government. The good work carried out by the Department of Public Roads, their determination and rigor, allowed the implementation of the new Urban Cleaning Plan.
The change in trend in public road cleanliness will be possible thanks to a debt renegotiation entered with the concession holder. Two years ago, when we entered into office, the City Hall’s outstanding debt with the concession holder totaled an astronomical sum of 9 million Euros. The agreement with concession holder, debt renegotiation to reduce debt burden and a financial policy based on a strict budgetary and spending control, all actions carried out by the current government, have produced the first results, and the increase and improvement of our cleaning service is one of those results.
Alongside the aforementioned measures, we closed an agreement with the same concession holder that will allow residents to record payments made at the household waste recycling center on a smart card. The regular and accumulated use of such service will allow a reduction in the garbage fee.
