The esplanade will be divided into four different sections. One will include a vehicle display area, where people can see the new lorries, 4×4 vehicles and barrows that will be doing the rounds in the city from now on. Children will be allowed to get on board the vehicles and try them. Another section is the “Let’s Recycle!” space, with various workshops to learn to recycle better and do it more, for instance by using up leftovers or creating hand and finger puppets with paper and cardboard.

Another section is “Let’s Reuse!”, with activities on recycling and collaborative art projects using recycled materials. The route concludes with a joint responsibility and civil behaviour section and a space for artistic action on the environment, gymkhanas for children, theatre performances and music shows. Visitors can also help create a collaborative mural coordinated by the illustrator Javi Royo.

A new, more social, efficient and sustainable cleaning contract

The new 8-year street cleaning and waste collection contract will start operating in five city districts in March. The renewal of machinery is one of the improvements being introduced to offer a service which adapts to the particular characteristics of each neighbourhood.

The new contract will bring an increase in cleaning services with water, the removal of stains on pavements, cleaning of green areas and city parks and also waste containers. Afternoon cleaning services on non-working days will also be stepped up.

The cleaning and waste collection workforce will be boosted to help the service adapt, with technology introduced to control and manage services, as well as electric vehicles to reduce noise and pollution.

Backing selective waste collection

The new contract will also introduce a series of changes to the selective waste collection model:

• Simplified model for separation of materials for yellow containers to allow users to deposit plastic or metal, regardless of whether they are packaging or other materials. This change will help towards the recovery and transformation of materials.
• New collection models and systems adapted to urban realities in the city. For instance, historical quarters in neighbourhoods, narrow streets and spaces with curbless paving.
• New design for waste containers, more flexible and suited to the area. New containers will be lower to improve pedestrian visibility, with openings calibrated to the waste deposited. Containers for organic waste will also be ready for user ID systems to be introduced.

The other change for waste containers will see them distributed in a new way, optimising and freeing up public space. Containers for organic waste will be positioned alongside those for selective waste (which are to be increased by 25%), in other words with those for paper, plastic and glass. As a result, and as far as the local area allows for it, these will no longer be alongside containers for rubbish.