Rubbish collection

Yellow plastic recycling bin to be collected daily in Vélez-Málaga throughout summer

The eastern Costa del Sol town and the provincial waste management consortium are stepping up their services in response to the rise in population in July and August

Recycling bins on a street in Vélez-Málaga. (SUR)

SUR

09/07/2026 a las 15:40h.

Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has stepped up its separate waste collection service during the summer season in collaboration with ... Malaga province's consortium for urban solid waste. The measure will remain in force throughout the summer to cope with the increase in the town’s population.

The main change is the increase in the frequency of collections from the yellow bins, which are for plastic packaging; these will now be collected daily. Meanwhile, paper and cardboard bins will be collected every 72 hours, with the aim of preventing them from becoming overfilled, improving the appearance of streets and public spaces, and continuing to promote recycling.

The mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez said that the measure is a response both to the summer population increase and to the residents’ commitment to the environment. “Vélez-Málaga is a leader in recycling and this is due, above all, to the awareness of our residents. We are recycling more and more, and this also means we have to provide a collection service that reflects this reality,” he said.

Plastic packaging will be collected daily and paper and cardboard every 72 hours to prevent the collection system becoming overloaded in Vélez this summer

The municipality of Vélez-Málaga and particularly its coastal towns such as Torre del Mar, sees its population multiply during the summer months. This increase in activity has a direct impact on waste generation and means that public services must be adapted to cope with a higher demand than is usual during the rest of the year.

For his part, Luis Rodríguez, the provincial councillor for Security and Emergencies and chairman of the Provincial Consortium for Urban Solid Waste, explained that the initiative forms part of a specific campaign designed to strengthen the service in the coastal municipalities of the Axarquía during the summer. “It was necessary to adapt the service to this situation,” he said.

The Consortium’s chairman pointed out that the system’s success also depends on public cooperation. “Waste collection will never be an exact science, but our aim is to get closer and closer to 100 per cent efficiency every day,” he said, highlighting the recycling efforts of the residents of Vélez-Málaga.

According to the figures provided, Vélez-Málaga has gone from having 62 side-loading bins in 2013 to currently having 215, increasing the total containerised volume from 715,300 litres to just under 1.9 million litres. The frequency of collections has also improved, rising from 5.5 days a week in summer to a daily service, seven days a week.

The annual volume collected has risen from 173.1 million litres in 2013 to over 237.6 million in 2026, establishing a more modern, efficient service that is tailored to the municipality’s current needs.