Vilanova i la Geltrú launches new comprehensive municipal cleaning service

Comprehensive waste collection and road cleaning service award has brought to the city of Vilanova a number of improvements, already in operation, such as the cleaning of painted and service road cleaning, which were presented during the month of April; the extension of care to the point of collection of solid waste, with new schedule since the beginning of March, cleaning of the beaches, which was presented in the middle of May. The timetable for progressive introduction of this service culminated in late may, when the new containers and new vehicles of collection were presented.

New trash bins are 1.9 billion, aimed at the five fractions: paper, glass, packaging, waste and organic fraction. Since early June is have been replacing old models by these, at a rate of 40 containers daily, taking advantage of the night of the garbage collection.

the new 1,900 containers, 1,700 are side cargo for five fractions. The 200 remaining, targeting areas of limited accessibility, are subsequent load, also for five fractions.

Solid waste

Another aspect of this new management of municipal cleaning services is the extension of the schedule to the public of the municipal solid waste collection Center, which increases its schedule to the public: now does not close at midday, is open from 8 up to 20 hourswithout interruption. Sundays and bank holidays open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..

These new containers are accessible both for people with reduced mobility and for people with vision impairment. To avoid overflows caused by the accumulation of discharges, these containers have greater capacity than the previous ones: 3,200 cubic metres for the waste, packaging and paper, and 2,200 cubic meters for the glass and organic waste.

The City Council has distributed 30,000 copies of an information leaflet with the aim of promoting this deployment. The brochure includes information about the new service, recalls the importance of properly conducting the separation in origin of the different types of waste and explains how to take advantage of discounts on receipt of the household refuse.

With regard to cleaning of graffiti, it is composed of three teams, who are already in operation since 22 April last, day in which the Mayor of the city filed its new image, visible in the uniforms of the workers and the case of vehicles: a round, smiling face, painted with four children's strokes, and the word "Gràcies" (thanks). According to the councilman of services Viarios, "this image, which will be integrated in all the elements that make up the service, runs away from the punitive and prohibitive slogan, and thanked in general all those that with their collaboration help keep clean the city."

The objective of the implementation of this service is graffiti cleaning and the removal of posters and stickers that pollute the facades of the buildings, both public and private, and street furniture (benches)(, wastebaskets, lampposts, traffic signs, containers, playgrounds).

Depending on the surface and the type of painted, following cleaning treatments will be used: by projection of water, water pressure and temperature high, by projection of water with sand, by projection of hot water (for surfaces treated with anti-graffiti) and paint coating. The service will also apply coatings of anti-grafitti on the facades that allow.

Each of the three cleaning teams that make up this service consists of two operators and a vehicle of cleaning, working in shifts of morning and afternoon, from Monday to Saturday. During the summer season, the service will increase with a fourth team, also of two operators, which will work the weekend, mainly in the maritime façade of the city.

A dealership expert

The launch of this service is the result of the contract signed at the beginning of the year between the municipality and sufi S.A., winning company of the contest which was integrated in the public service of cleaning and collection of waste management. Sufi is a concessionary company of municipal services integrated in the Sacyr Vallehermoso group, with headquarters in Madrid, which already operated services of street cleaning in other cities such as Toledo. Since 1 March, after winning the corresponding public contest, also manages the Vilanova i la Geltrú.

On the Beach the new season presents related changes and new features, mainly with new cleaning service and the rescue and life-saving service. This year, the number of operators which must clean-up on the beaches of the municipality during the summer months, soars. His speech was lengthen throughout the year.