The Terrassa City Council has presented an action plan to reduce bulky waste on public roads after detecting a rebound in 44 container batteries distributed throughout the city. The initiative is driven by a cross-functional team with the Environment Service, the Municipal Crane, the Municipal Police, and Eco-Equip.
The initiative comes after a partial improvement and, at the same time, increasing pressure in some areas. In December 2025, the dumping of bulky waste on the street fell by 7% thanks to the reinforcement implemented in November, but Eco-Equip and the council continue to locate areas where this waste has increased and have set two routes that concentrate concern.
Xavier Cardona, deputy mayor for Territory and Housing and councilor for Cleaning and Waste, framed the action within the daily coexistence of the neighborhoods. For the councilor, reducing these dumps on the street is a matter of civility and shared use of public space.
The plan activated controls seven days a week on two routes under inspection
The new system, defined by the municipal government as pioneering and created with its own resources, distributes tasks among various services. The Environment Service will detect patterns and draw up inspection reports, Eco-Equip will monitor routes, the municipal crane will provide night support, and the Municipal Police will assign officers to locate dumps.
In addition, controls will operate seven days a week in the areas where the council wants to identify those responsible. The city council has not detailed which routes are the most problematic because the inspection is still ongoing.
"We do not tolerate uncivilized activities, not only because they violate regulations, but because these bulky items affect coexistence in the neighborhoods" - Xavier Cardona, deputy mayor for Territory and Housing and councilor for Cleaning and Waste, Terrassa City Council
The municipal ordinance provides for high penalties for uncontrolled dumping. Fines can range from 6,000 to 60,000 euros.
Maria Cinta Blanch, manager of Eco-Equip, warned that the increase in calls to the free collection telephone number has not prevented the rebound in some areas. The municipal company keeps the 900 720 135 active to schedule free pick-ups, although the service continues to find points with more bulky waste on public roads.
Terrassa increased street teams by 55% and is reviewing underground collection in Montcada
During 2025, the service reinforced means to contain the problem. The number of teams in the street increased by 55%, from 9 to 14, with the aim of covering scheduled collections, maintaining the container areas, and responding to incidents.
Cardona argued that the change required a more coordinated structure among all the actors involved. This review of the service also includes the situation on the Montcada road, where the closure of the underground containers and their replacement with others for later loading has generated concern among residents of the area.
The municipal official justified this decision for reasons of occupational safety. In parallel, the city council is studying the collection model in that area due to the high cost of the underground system and the use of public funds, in a debate that affects the balance between operability and visual impact of the new containers.
On that point, Xavier Cardona explained that the closure of the underground containers on the Montcada road was adopted to facilitate the safety of the workers who have to handle that metal structure.