PETITION PROTESTING AGAINST ILLEGAL WASTE TRANSFER POINT WON !!

Over 300 pines planted on illegal tip land in Orihuela Costa

WEDNESDAY FINALLY saw the end to a saga that has dominated the pages of this newspaper for over two years. The PAU 26 area of the Orihuela Costa was the site of an illegal tip, denounced several times by opposition parties and nearby urbanisations; residents of which were left looking at an eye sore and they were regularly disturbed by lorries illegally dumping their waste.

 Late last year, it was announced by the Orihuela Town Hall that the illegal tip was to be officially closed and that the area would be restored to its natural beauty. After a few false starts, where trees were meant to be planted but were not, this week saw over 300 trees being planted. Councillor Jose Antonio Aniorte, the Orihuela Councillor for the Coast and Councillor for Infrastructure, Manolo Abadia, along with residents from nearby urbanisation, Entre Golf, and over 70 infantil children aged between three and five, from the Colegio Público Playas de Orihuela in Los Dolces, all pitched in to plant the saplings and afterwards enjoyed a snack and a drink, courtesy of the Town Hall.

FORMER GLORY

President of Entre Golf, Wally Stewartson, a long time campaigner to get the illegal tip closed, is delighted that the story has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion. He told RTN: “The residents of Entre Golf are delighted that, at long last, the area of PAU 26 is now to be fully restored to its former glory.”

As well as the tree planting, the Town Hall used the event to reveal their new mobile Eco Park. The park will be placed in various different urbanisations on the coast from next week; the first scheme of its kind in the Costa Blanca. Aerosols, batteries and oils can now be disposed of safely as well as broken white goods such as fridges and washing machines.

Snr Abadia told RTN: “If you have any white goods to dispose of, you can wait until the eco park is in your urbanisation, place it next to the unit and it will be taken away free of charge.” All the urbanisations will have, at one point during the calendar month, access to the eco park. Times may vary, but the park will be there on the same day every month. There are also two fixed Eco Parks in Villamartin and Campoamor that can be used every day.

The Town Hall has said that next week, leaflets will be distributed in Spanish, English, German and French to each home on the coast, detailing exactly when and where the Eco Park will be located in each of the coast’s urbanisations.
 

Report in the RTN 25 February 2010

C.L.A.R.O PRESS RELEASE   22 OCTOBER, 2009

THREATENED SOLID WASTE DUMP IN THE MIDDLE OF ORIHUELA COSTA URBANISATIONS

Representatives of 10 urbanisations surrounding the PAU 26 area of Orihuela Costa presented a Petition today in the Town Hall of Orihuela signed by over 400 residents and property owners protesting against the continued operation of an illegal organic waste rubbish transfer point, the threatened location of a huge solid waste dump and possible rubbish vehicle parking area, all in the middle of their urbanisations.  

Included in the urbanisations which would be affected are: Entre Golf 1, 2 and 3, Brisas y Golf, Las Palmeras – Manzana 1 Alandalus 111, Res. Mexico, Dream Hills 2, La Pinada, Los Almendros, Belbuque,La Concha  The present transfer point which has been operating illegally for many years IS SITUATED IN A GREEN AREA.  

The site operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

The noise from the constant flow of dustbin lorries which transfer their contents to huge containers during the night and early hours of the morning, when the majority of the current activity takes place, allied with the often toxic smells, is a source of major disturbance for neighbours.    

In an official letter dated 25 September, 2007, Sr. Abadia, the Councillor for Infrastructure in Orihuela Town Hall, confirmed the illegality of the transfer point and gave assurances that it would be closed VERY SOON and the area restored to its natural state.    

Two years later and a new concessionary for the rubbish collection service – NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.

Illegal organic waste rubbish transfer point The new contract for rubbish collection includes the creation of a solid waste rubbish dump, called an ECO-PARK, in Orihuela Costa which would obviously be an advantage.  

Such an installation would help remove the unsightly presence of old mattresses, furniture and all sorts of household appliances from the pavements where they have to be left at present.   

However, it is elementary common sense that such an installation, which would be on a very large scale, up to 15,000 square metres, with a very large number of containers being regularly emptied and removed, SHOULD NOT

BE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN URBAN AREA.   

It should NOT be situated where it would cause great inconvenience, dirt, noise and nuisance to residents and property owners.   This would be ENVIRONMENTAL BARBARITY.   

However, despite this elementary consideration, there is a persistent and founded fear that the solid waste dump will be situated alongside the illegal transfer point which would involve the sacrifice of an attractive hillside covered with pine trees. Pine tree hill and adjacent play area threatened with location of solid waste dump 

With the present local government’s record of disregard for the interests of neighbours in these matters, such as when the Mayoress offered to locate a huge provincial organic waste dump and recycling plant near Torremendo, there can be no confidence that the interests of residents surrounding the PAU 26 area and their green areas will not be sacrificed.   

The provision of associated buildings and possibly a large parking area for the fleet of lorries which is, and will increasingly, be involved in these rubbish collection and disposal operations would be logical from commercial point of view but would only make matters worse for those living in and around PAU 26. Decisions on the continuation of the present illegal transfer point and the location of a solid waste dump cannot be delayed much longer.  

It is imperative that the Town Hall respect the interests of those living in urbanisations surrounding PAU 26.  

The illegal transfer point should be closed and restored to its natural state as officially promised and the transfer point and solid waste dump should be situated FAR FROM URBAN AREAS  to ensure they will not constitute disturbance and inconvenience for residents.