On Sunday, approximately two hundred residents of Los Montesinos protested in front of the town hall to demand that the local government improve the waste collection and cleaning services that they deem unsatisfactory. Issues raised include insufficient collection frequency and the poor state of waste bins. Additionally, residents highlighted the accumulation of rubbish on municipal land due to the contractor’s inadequate resources.

The local council’s waste collection service has been operating without a formal contract for five years, a situation attributed to the inability of municipal officials and politicians to create a new service documentation. This does not prevent the multinational company Prezero from raising their fees in line with inflation, which has resulted in higher bills for the community. With around five thousand five hundred inhabitants, Los Montesinos is charged twenty-two thousand euros monthly for this service, underlining concerns about the value residents receive.

Francisco Paredes, spokesperson for the residents’ association, emphasised the need for dignified services for a growing population, stating they are not asking for anything beyond their rights. Mar Paredes, the association’s president, expressed frustration with the local government, asserting the group’s commitment to collaboration while noting the difficulties they face. The association has faced intimidation and reprisals for their active oversight of government practices since successfully halting a waste treatment plant project in 2024.

The local PSOE government has proposed to hire a new service provider after the protest call, suggesting a ten-year contract for a door-to-door collection model. This model, which has faced criticism and has only been effectively implemented in certain areas, would affect the number of collection days. As rain threatened during the protest, opposition party members attended to show their support for the residents’ demands, though no representatives of the PSOE government were present to explain the delay in service improvements.