This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at La situación actual de la limpieza y aseo urbano en España y Europa, a estudio en Limpur 2012

The VII Conference Limpur 2012 will have by title ‘The management of the municipal services in time of crisis' and will celebrate in the frame of the fair Tecma

The current situation of the cleaning and aseo urban in Spain and Europe, to study in Limpur 2012

Editorial Interempresas20/04/2012

20 April 2012

An optimum management of the urban waste constitutes a key subject in matter of sustainability of the cities. In spite of the diversity of characteristics and factors that identify to a municipality and differentiate it of the rest, big part of them coincide in the importance of the analysis of the services of collected and transport of urban waste. It could even affirm, as it observes during a strike of this type of services, that without the collected of his waste and without the cleaning of his streets, a city would collapse .

In effect, the aim of these services is first of all a hygienic question-sanitary ware, to allow that the city was in a suitable state of hygiene. It is indispensable also to allow a good quality of life of the citizens and redundar in the good aesthetic appearance of the municipality.

Before beginning any performance suits to carry out a diagnostic of the state in that they find the activities of Aseo Urbano in the different Spanish municipalities.

Illustration 1: distribution of the market of the activities of cleaning and collected, by companies (in the segment of municipalities considered in the study "Report of Aseo Urbano 2009" of Ategrus).

As if the company has public or private capital, almost 90% of the sector is managed by companies totally private or by unions of several private companies. Only 9% of the municipalities are managed by companies of public capital.

Illustration 2: distribution of the market of the activities of cleaning and collected, according to typology of company (in the segment of municipalities considered in the study).

This contrasts with the situation in Europe, according to a study realised by ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) in 2007 in which it analysed the situation of 19 paradigmatic cities of all Europe, pertaining to 13 countries (from Oviedo to Gothenburg, of Sunderland until Istanbul, going through Berne or Prague). In this case, the management by part of private main companies is minoritary (so only of 19%), whereas the management by part of main companies totally public gives in 62% of the cases, and the union between companies of public capital and deprived in 19%.

Illustration 3: distribution of the market of the road cleaning in distinct European municipalities. Source: ISWA, 2007.

On the other hand, the results of the 4º study on the Management of Waste and Road Cleaning realised by the OCU accredit that the road cleaning follows presenting important differences between north and south cities of Spain.

Oviedo Keeps once again like the better city valued by his neighbours. Elche, scale until the second place, followed of other four cities more, all they north of Spain: Bilbao, Pamplona, Getxo and San Sebastián.

In the another extreme finds Badajoz, that with only 30 points is the worse city valued.. They follow him Jerez of the Border, Seville, Jaén, Alcalá de Henares, Huelva, Teruel and Málaga.

The half budget that devote the city councils to the road cleaning is of 52,51 euros by inhabitant/year; however, the satisfaction of the citizens does not seem to be related with the elder or lower budget that annually devotes to this type of works. Like this cities with identical budget by inhabitant like Pamplona and Jaén, occupy two very different positions in the ranking.

The most effective measures to improve the road cleaning go through concienciar to the people. Nevertheless, the municipal management also plays an important paper.

What greater are the mechanical means (baldeadoras, sweepers…) allocated to the road cleaning, greater is the cleaning perceived by his neighbours, however the result is the contrary when they compare with the ratio of destined employees to the road cleaning.

VII Conference Limpur 2012: 'The management of the municipal services in time of crisis'

The days 12 and 13 June Ategrus, Technical Association for the Management of Waste and Environingingment, organises the VII Conference Limpur 2012 whose thematic main centres in the road cleaning and aseo urban, and will have the special presence of David Newman, vice-president of the ISWA.

In this intervention will analyse in what measured the countries members of the EU fulfil with the legislation of waste regarding the reduction of dumps, creation of new infrastructures and recovery of resources.

Will centre in the current infrastructures and in the stages of market to future regarding what will happen in the 2020 in thermal sensors of investments in infrastructures.

Can observe that the waste management more advanced carries us to the need to reduce the gases of effect invernadero, preserve the health, create employment and modernizar the industrial infrastructure.

The way in that these factors implement in Europe is an open question but the value of the implementation of the European Directives in his whole is out of all doubt.