Santa Cruz Cleaning Contract Debate Erupts in Accusations and Threats

The state of Santa Cruz's cleaning and waste collection service was hotly debated at a special meeting yesterday, called for by the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).

The PSOE, the opposition party, put forward two proposals. They wanted the local government (CC and PP) to review and monitor their contract with the cleaning company, Valoriza, and to conduct an independent audit of the contract's performance. However, these proposals didn't get enough support to pass.

Adding to the tension, Carlos Tarife, the Councilor for Public Services, threatened to sue the socialists for what he called "false accusations."

The meeting was packed, with employees from Valoriza in attendance. Accusations flew, supported by photos and even audio recordings. The atmosphere was highly charged, with constant applause from the benches, turning the session into a three-way argument between Patricia Hernández (the socialist spokesperson), Carlos Tarife, and the Mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez.

Hernández, the former mayor, strongly criticized Tarife, accusing him of failing to oversee a contract that citizens are paying for but not seeing the benefits of. She claimed he was simply blaming residents for the city's increasing dirtiness. She also alleged that some cleaning vehicles, like electric sweepers presented by the mayor, weren't actually being used in Santa Cruz. Instead, she said, they were being used in other areas like Candelaria and Guamasa (La Laguna), as tracked by their location data. This meant, she argued, that Santa Cruz residents were paying for sweepers that weren't even on their streets.

Tarife responded by demanding that Hernández stop "disrespecting" city officials with "false and serious accusations." He suggested she was implying, without proof, that the city was paying for fewer vehicles than agreed upon. He stated that they would analyze her words to see what legal action could be taken. He also insisted that Valoriza was providing fifteen more vehicles than required by the contract.

Tarife maintained that the current contract met the city's basic cleaning needs, although improvements could be made. He said the contract would be modified by 2026 and 2027, when it expires, to include more staff. This would lead to increased sweeping, washing, and cleaning across the city's districts, expanding from the current three to nine. He pointed out that Hernández herself had presented the original contract in 2019 when she was mayor.

Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez stated that Santa Cruz was investing more in cleaning and expected results, with penalties being applied when necessary. He claimed that improvements were ongoing and the commitment was strong, noting that there were now more workers and resources than when Hernández signed the contract.

Bermúdez also highlighted that citizens would be paying almost €140 next year for the same service, a significant increase from the current €69, due to a requirement imposed on all municipalities by the Spanish government. He emphasized that a city's cleaning system relies on both the cleaning company and the behavior of its citizens, and that the system would fail if either faltered.

At this point, the mayor played an audio clip from 2019, when Hernández presented the cleaning contract. In the clip, she stated that "there is nothing we can do, even with a lot of resources, if the citizens do not comply." Bermúdez used this to ask for "moderation," suggesting that Hernández shouldn't criticize him for something she herself had defended in the past.

The cleaning contract represents a total investment of €157 million over eight years, or €19.7 million annually, compared to €18 million in the previous contract. According to the local government, this increase has allowed for expanded services, equipment upgrades, and more cleaning staff, increasing from 417 workers in 2019 to the current 470.

However, Hernández presented data on reported issues with the contract. She stated that in 2023 there were 6,151 incidents, resulting in €384,000 in deductions. In 2024, there were 10,433 incidents and €265,000 in deductions. And so far in 2025, there have already been 10,326 incidents (almost as many as last year) and €118,000 in deductions.

Tarife countered by emphasizing that the expansion of cleaning services had been accompanied by the modernization of vehicles and equipment, including three new washing tanks and five collection trucks, as well as a 28% increase in the number of containers and bins.

He concluded by saying, "We are also going to improve the collection service for bulky waste with a new system, because it is useless to have a free telephone line if citizens then deposit items whenever they want."