The new smart containers installed in several areas of El Vendrell have started to suffer vandalism a few weeks after their launch. Forced hatches and card readers covered with black spray have been detected, damages that affect the system's operation and impact the residents who do correctly separate waste.
The implemented model forces the use of a card or a mobile application to open the organic and rest containers. The measure has generated rejection among a part of the population since the beginning of the installation, and that discomfort has resulted in some cases in sabotages on the equipment.
Damages in gates and readers
Among the registered incidents are forced gates, with damage to the containers, and card readers painted with black spray with the intention of rendering them unusable. Even so, covering these devices does not prevent opening the gate, since the system works by magnetic contact.
The damages do have a cost and complicate the management of the service. Furthermore, they especially harm the residents who make correct use of the system and separate the trash appropriately.
Garbage outside of the deposits and municipal controls
Beyond the sabotages, in some parts of the municipality abandoned waste can still be seen outside the containers. The El Vendrell City Council maintains controls to try to prevent these behaviors and stop the dumping of bags outside the deposits.
The council has already sanctioned several people for leaving trash outside the containers. The municipal intention is to reduce these practices and promote correct recycling, also with the aim of containing the waste bill.
In this context, the vandalic acts and the misuse of the containers add pressure to a system that has just been deployed and that seeks to improve waste separation in the municipality.