El Campello City Council (Alicante) has renewed its trust in FCC Medio Ambiente with the award of its new contract for waste collection and street and beach cleansing in the municipality, a service the company has been providing uninterruptedly since the year 2000, and which represents an order book value worth over €60 million over the next 10 years.

Services have been designed to suit the municipality and its characteristics, specifically due to its seasonality, which triples its population during the summer months. This growth is also reflected in the services, especially in the workforce, which is adequately reinforced.

In a firm commitment to sustainability, the vehicle fleet, which has been completely renewed, will have a high percentage of zero-emission electric units, and priority will be given to the use of regenerated water for washing-down and scrubbing tasks, demonstrating the commitment of El Campello City Council and FCC Medio Ambiente to the fight against climate change. Innovation is also particularly important, with the implementation of a comprehensive service management platform that enables real-time interaction with incidents, requests from residents and the municipal team. Of particular note is the addition of over 300 new containers for the selective collection of organic waste, equipped with a pedal and an electronic opening and closing system, with the aim of promoting the sortnig of waste at source and reducing the percentage of the residual fraction waste. A Citizen App will be created to view container openings, open them and/or report incidents.

The waste collection service, which handles around 18,000 tonnes annually, has seen the addition of side-loading and rear-loading compactor lorries of various capacities, as well as the complete replacement of almost 1,000 bins for the residual, organic, packaging, and paper and cardboard waste fractions. As an improvement on the current service, there are plans to implement a door-to-door service for light packaging and organic waste under request for restaurants and shops. Also noteworthy is the collection service for household bulky waste, through which those in good condition will be sent to a recovery centre to be given a second life, thus promoting the circular economy in the municipality.

With regard to street cleansing, which covers an area of more than 55 km², ancillary vehicles equipped with hydro-cleaning systems, blowers and electric brush cutters will be incorporated, and cleaning frequencies will be increased compared to the previous contract at all levels during the different seasons. Other new features include an increase in mechanical sweeping and washing-down, as well as the use of a dual system that combines manual washing with mechanical sweeping using hydro-pressure hoses incorporated into the machines.

Regarding beach cleaning, which covers 23 kilometres of coastline, already provides a high level of service in the low season and is greatly reinforced during the high season. The service includes 20 newly acquired vehicles and equipment, including tractors, which will provide daily service in the busy season, a loader, an electric walkway sweeper and tractor-mounted beach cleaning and manual equipment for inaccessible areas. As for seaweed management, on the one hand, it will be returned to the sea after being screened; and on the other, it will be reused in nearby horse stables.

The renewal also includes the implementation of a comprehensive communication plan aimed at promoting citizen awareness, transparency, and continuous service improvement. This plan includes the incorporation of environmental educators, who will develop outreach activities to engage the population in caring for their municipality.