Miguel Andújar proposes political agreement to improve Tuineje’s cleaning contract in 2027

Miguel Andújar, Tuineje Town Council’s Works and Services councillor, is calling on the different political groups to reach an agreement and prepare a new cleaning contract, from the next municipal term, that meets the municipality’s needs. The current service, awarded in 2018 and running until 2028, is inadequate for a population that has grown without a proportional increase in the resources allocated to cleaning.

In an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura, Andújar said the issue must be addressed regardless of who governs after the 2027 municipal elections.

“I believe this is an issue all the parties should be involved in, because we have all been in government and, ultimately, we all see the need,” he said.

The councillor said more staff and machinery were needed, along with more frequent service. “The contract we have has always been described as inadequate,” he acknowledged.

One street cleaner for Tuineje and Tiscamanita

Tuineje’s cleaning service currently has an annual budget of between €1.5 million and €1.6 million, according to Andújar, compared with the approximately €5 million that other municipalities on Fuerteventura, such as Pájara and La Oliva, are allocating to their new contracts.

As an example of the lack of resources, the councillor said Tiscamanita and Tuineje share one street cleaner — who used to work half-time and now works full-time — while Las Playitas and Tarajalejo each have one.

Andújar acknowledged the shortcomings, despite the local council having improved the pay of some employees of the company awarded the contract at the end of 2023, with increases of nearly €160 a month. The measures were intended to improve the service but have not resolved its shortcomings.

In addition, although the contract provides for bulky waste to be collected 2 days a week, it is currently collected daily. “The service has improved, but it still does not meet the need,” he admitted.

He therefore argued that the next tender documents should be drawn up with input from municipal officials, the Local Police and cleaning professionals, to determine the actual needs of each locality. “I believe we need to sit down, assess things properly, draw up good tender documents and put a good cleaning contract out to tender,” he insisted.

He also addressed the problems caused by furniture and other bulky items being left beside containers, some of them near the Fuente de Bartolo waste facility, established by the Fuerteventura Island Council.

The councillor said he regretted that some residents leave bulky waste in unauthorised places, forcing crews to be diverted from other areas to remove it.

Outstanding works in Tuineje

Asked about various outstanding works in the municipality, Andújar said Tuineje Town Council was still waiting for a response from the coastal authorities on its project to restore Tarajalejo’s seafront avenue, which was damaged by storms.

The plan covers around 200 metres and includes resurfacing and the installation of stainless-steel railings. The councillor acknowledged that the deterioration poses a danger, and said the project still needs technical approval and a response from the coastal authorities before funding can be sought.

On Tarajalejo’s football pitch, which has been closed for several years, Andújar said the council was seeking funding through the Island Cooperation Plan for Works and Services (PICOS) to resolve an amendment to the project and unblock its completion. Earlier this week, the Fuerteventura Island Council announced that it would include the funding needed to finish the work, at the Town Council’s request.

Andújar also confirmed that the project for the Gran Tarajal sports centre has been submitted under the same programme, with the aim of securing funding and putting the works out to tender in the first half of 2027.