Unrest in Marbella and San Pedro has been on the rise this year, with increasing complaints of rubbish in the streets. Now, local residents are taking matters into their own hands.
The indignation only worsened over the summer, a time when, due to the influx of visitors, street cleaning and rubbish collection should, one would think, be ramped up. However, according to many residents, it reduced with rubbish bins and containers overflowing and bin bags abandoned on the streets.
The only solution offered by the council so far has been a pledge to have local police officers fine people they spot for not disposing of waste correctly. Beyond blaming the citizens, the mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, has not taken any further measures.
Now, residents have had enough and are taking to cleaning up the mess themselves. In some less centric zones, neighbours complain of litter that has built up over years, giving a subconscious green light to others to just throw their litter too. According to local San Pedro second-home owner Sandra, ‘Once cleared, it’s much easier to keep on top of.’
Credit: Sandra McClean
Sandra and friends have been working on cleaning up the Camino de Cortes road, just off the A-7175. She filled 19 bags of rubbish and litter, which she found to be a blight on the approach to her family’s apartment. Passers-by thank Sandra and offer to help too. The majority do care, but the challenge is changing the behaviour of a minority who think that littering and dumping rubbish is acceptable.
All the usual type of roadside littering can be seen on the A-7175: glass and plastic bottles; coffee cups; takeaway packaging; drink cans; vapes; discarded cigarette packets and butts; ice cream wrappers; plastic and paper bags; and used tissues. As the road borders the Atalaya Golf and Country Club, the only bonus for Sandra was finding over 20 good-quality golf balls.
By setting examples like this, Sandra hopes to encourage other local residents to do the same. She has some experience in these matters. In Leeds, in the UK, Sandra is coordinator of ‘Litter Free Leeds,’ a voluntary community-led organisation that has grown to become a massive force for change. Volunteers see filled purple bags all over Leeds and want to join in spreading ‘purple magic’ across the city.
Sandra will be returning to her second home in San Pedro soon and hopes to replicate the success she has had in Leeds by encouraging her neighbours to get involved in her project.
