From the end of this month, Orihuela Local Police will start fining pet owners who do not pick up their pets’ excrement

The municipality is below average in the Valencian Community for recycling

At the end of this month the informative period ends of the public awareness campaign organised by the Town Hall that is intended to make pet owners more responsible by clearing up after their animals and looking after them. Local Police will start fining pet owners who do not respect the cleanliness of public streets.

Mayor Monserrate Guillén, who is also responsible for Urban Hygiene, explained the fines will range from 100 to 700 euros, depending on the seriousness of the incidents. He reminded that there are several places in the city where bags can be collected to deposit pets’ excrement and many parks with areas where animals can urinate without having to do it in historic places or on monuments. During the informative period, officers have made several reports but no one has been fined, but they will come into force for those the bylaw at the end of this month.

The mayor has also presented figures that show Orihuela recycles less waste than average compared to other municipalities in the Valencian Community. He said 40% of what goes into the recycling containers should not be put in those containers.

“When the container is more than 30% full of the wrong things, everyone gets fined, so we all pay this fine,” explained Guillén.

In 2012 Orihuela recycled 304 tonnes, which is far from the average for the region of 8.29 kilos per inhabitant and works out at just 3.65 kilos per resident.

For this reason the Urban Hygiene Department is continuing its public awareness campaign about recycling with an informative leaflet in the next bill from water company Aguagest. The leaflets are written in Spanish, English and German and has already been sent in the bills to residents of Villamartín, as they get their bills this month. Next month it will be sent with the bills to the rest of the municipality.

“It says how we can do these things well,” said the mayor.