Spain’s dirtiest cities are named and shamed

29 March 2007

MADRID – The dirtiest cities in Spain have been named and shamed in a report published on Thursday.

Jaen is the worst offender, followed by Seville, Toledo, Badajoz, Alicante and Guadalajara, according to the report by the Organisation of Consumers and Users on rubbish collection.

The cleanest places to live, in contrast, are Oviedo, followed by San Sebastian, Bilbao, Getxo and Pamplona.

Excrement in the street, graffiti and vandalism are the typical problems from which most cities suffer, the report said.

Another is the botellon, the mass booze-up, which brings hundreds of teenagers on to the streets at weekends, leaving litter strewn on streets.

The survey found 78 percent of those questioned believed more public awareness of litter problems would have greater effect than more money spent on rubbish collection.

The OCU says despite civic clean-ups, streets in Spain have become dirtier in the past six years.

The survey contacted 59 local authorities.

It found that each of the 44 million Spaniards generates 1.5kg of rubbish per day.

In only 27 percent of homes are there rubbish collection systems to re-use paper, glass or plastics.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news