Install Closed Containers in Villaverde Alto to Prevent Littering
In various areas of Villaverde Alto, there is a continuous accumulation of waste around the containers, leading to a clear degradation of public spaces and causing health, safety, and neighborhood coexistence issues. The constant presence of bags, belongings, and other waste outside the containers encourages the proliferation of rodents and insects, produces foul odors, complicates cleaning efforts, and increases the risk of fires, especially during the hotter months.
This situation is not just a problem of individual behavior, but also a deficiency in the waste collection system where existing containers fail to prevent waste from consistently remaining in public areas.
The Madrid City Council has a legal obligation to ensure adequate cleanliness and sanitation in public spaces. This is established by the Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local, which assigns municipalities their own responsibilities for urban environment, street cleaning, and waste management (articles 25 and 26). Additionally, the Ley 7/2022, de 8 de abril, de residuos y suelos contaminados para una economía circular, stipulates that waste management must protect people's health and the environment.
Similarly, the Ordinance on Public Space Cleaning, Waste Management, and Circular Economy of the Madrid City Council requires the Council to organize and provide waste collection services and maintain public spaces in suitable conditions of cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation. When the container system is insufficient to prevent the permanent accumulation of waste in public areas, it is the Administration's responsibility to take necessary measures to correct this situation.
Therefore, we request the Madrid City Council to progressively replace open containers with closed ones in the areas of Villaverde Alto where waste accumulation is recurrent, starting with the most affected streets. This action should be accompanied by a review of the capacity, location, and condition of the containers, to ensure an effective collection system that prevents waste dispersion and maintains the cleanliness and sanitation conditions required by current legislation.
The adoption of these measures will help protect public health, improve the quality of urban spaces, and ensure compliance with the obligations attributed to the Madrid City Council regarding street cleaning and waste management.