Orihuela City Council has awarded five lots of a €3,493,788 contract to modernise its street cleaning and urban waste collection service. The investment, the largest since the service was municipalised, will allow almost the entire fleet to be renewed during 2026.

The contract includes seven refuse collection lorries, three 3,500‑kilo open trucks, four sweepers, a water tanker lorry and a hydro-cleaning unit. Several specialist firms secured different lots, following strong interest from across the sector when the tender was launched last September.

This forms part of wider investments exceeding €6 million during the current term, including five new refuse lorries already in operation since August and the renewal of waste and recycling containers. A further €1.8 million tender is planned for more than 2,500 additional containers, including organic waste units.

The upgrades come as the council prepares for the municipal company Servicio de Gestión Medioambiental to take over waste management. A commissioned report estimates the publicly run service will cost €21.3 million, representing a projected saving of more than €628,000 compared with the current system.