Figueres waste service: 1,043 bins replaced from 5 October
Figueres will switch to a new waste collection service on 5 October. The change will see 1,043 street containers replaced across the capital of the Alt Empordà.
The new containers will be the most visible part of the overhaul, but the contract brings other changes too. For the first time, the service will collect the organic fraction, meaning food scraps and other biodegradable kitchen waste, as well as used vegetable cooking oil.
The council presented the new service to the public on the Rambla, the town's main promenade. The municipal government also moved to reassure residents about the cost. It said the change will not hit taxpayers' pockets, because the waste fee will be frozen for 2027.
Caddies and bags for households
Preparations in homes have already begun. The council has started handing out 20,000 aerated caddies for organic waste, along with compostable bags.
The caddies are intended for sorting food waste in the kitchen before it goes out to the street. The compostable bags can be thrown away together with the organic waste, rather than being sorted separately as plastic.
For many households this will mean a new routine. Until now there has been no separate collection of organic waste in Figueres, so kitchen scraps will need to be kept apart from general rubbish.
A new fleet on the streets
The overhaul also covers the equipment used to run the service. All of the machinery will be new, and around twenty vehicles will enter service. The council describes them as faster and more efficient than the ones they replace.
More collection and cleaner containers
The scope of the service is also growing. Collection is being extended, and a pre-collection stage, known in Catalan as "prerecollida", is being added to the system. Cleaning of the containers themselves will also be stepped up, an issue that often comes up in complaints about street bins.
Shops and industrial estates
Businesses are being brought into the new model in stages. Shops in Figueres have had door-to-door collection since July. In this system, waste is collected directly from each business instead of being left in shared street containers.
The next step will come in November, when industrial collection will start in the town's "polígons", the industrial estates on the edge of the urban area.
Key dates
- July: door-to-door collection for shops began
- Late September: distribution of 20,000 organic waste caddies and compostable bags started
- 5 October: new household service begins, with 1,043 containers replaced
- November: industrial collection begins in the industrial estates
- 2027: waste fee frozen
What It Means for the Area
For readers in Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries, the change matters even if they do not live in Figueres. Many people from the coast work, shop or run businesses in the county capital. Anyone with premises there, particularly on an industrial estate, should expect changes to how their waste is collected in the coming months.
The overhaul is also another sign of a busy autumn of municipal projects in Figueres. It comes alongside new facilities such as the green zone car park in Poble Nou and upcoming street works on carrer Balmes. Taken together, this suggests a council keen to show visible improvements in daily services.
The first weeks after 5 October will be the real test. It is worth watching how quickly households adopt the new habit of separating organic waste. How smoothly the new containers and vehicles perform will matter too. The November rollout on the industrial estates is the next milestone. It also remains to be seen whether the fee freeze promised for 2027 will be extended beyond that year once the full costs of the new service become clear.