The rollout of the brown bin across the entire municipality has positioned Elche among Spain's most advanced cities in waste management. This measure was crucial for receiving the Platinum Broom, the top national award for urban cleanliness. Mayor Pablo Ruz symbolically presented the award on Monday to the workers of UTE Elche, acknowledging their daily efforts. The mayor visited the concessionary company's facilities to celebrate this distinction with the staff, which honors both the municipal cleaning service's excellence and the selective collection of organic matter throughout the municipality.
The expansion of the brown bin to neighborhoods and rural areas represents one of the most significant changes in waste management in recent years in Elche. This commitment to separating organic matter has enabled the municipality to advance towards European recycling and sustainability goals, improving waste recovery rates. The jury for the Platinum Broom particularly valued this implementation, recognizing initiatives with a positive environmental impact and on public services.
Selective collection of organic waste is a major challenge for Spanish municipalities. Elche has successfully extended this system across its entire territory, encouraging citizen participation through new collection points and awareness campaigns. The introduction of the brown bin has been accompanied by a progressive modernization of the municipal service, strengthening the city's capacity to meet current and future environmental demands.
During the visit to UTE Elche's facilities, Pablo Ruz acknowledged the staff's constant effort in maintaining the city's cleanliness. The mayor highlighted their "tireless work and dedication to making Elche one of the cleanest cities in the country," emphasizing the human factor behind service improvements.
Ruz also stressed the award's special significance given the region's climate. He noted that the distinction "is more valuable for a southern area, where very few towns have received the award, as the climate complicates cleaning efforts." High temperatures, scarce rainfall for much of the year, and constant dust accumulation make maintaining streets and public spaces more challenging than elsewhere in the country. Therefore, the City Council believes the award recognizes not only the quality of service but also the staff's adaptability to particularly demanding circumstances.
The institutional visit also included the Councilor for Public Services, Claudio Guilabert; the manager of UTE Elche, Alberto Bleda; and the head of service, José Luis Orellana.
The Platinum Broom is considered the highest Spanish distinction in urban cleaning and environmental management. The City Council officially received the award on June 10th during the International Urbanism and Environment Fair. The awards are granted by the Technical Association for Waste and Environment Management, which periodically recognizes best practices by public administrations and companies in urban cleaning.
