The plenary session of the Berguedà County Council has given the green light to the tender for the collection of clothes and bulky waste, with the aim of resolving the process this year and launching the new contract in early next year. In parallel, a new lot has been approved for the management of the three fixed landfills (Guardiola, Berga, and Puig-reig) and mobile ones.
Both tenders are reserved for third-sector companies or entities. While clothes collection was historically managed by the Fundació Horitzó, the management of landfills by a social enterprise is a new development, inspired by examples from other parts of the country, as highlighted by the County Council president, Moisès Masanas.
A third lot, for the transport of waste from the landfills, will be open to all due to the need for specific machinery and infrastructure.
The budget allocated for clothes and bulky waste is set at €200,653.03 annually, a reduction justified by a redefined service with some municipalities, as explained by the Councillor for Waste, Jesús Calderer. This allocation is in addition to the approximately €763,000 annually for the overall management of bulky waste, clothes, and landfills, with a significant portion for the third sector.
The new contract, with a duration of six years extendable by two more, is expected to come into effect in early 2027, with the tender planned for late August and offers to be submitted during September.
According to Calderer, the new contract settles a historical debt by extending the mobile landfill and bulky waste collection service to municipalities that previously lacked it. Additionally, landfill opening hours will be extended, and the Berga landfill will include asbestos collection.
The previous tender for clothes and bulky waste generated controversy when Fundació La Llar won it over Fundació Horitzó, leading to legal action. The new call for tenders, with two reserved lots, aims, according to Moisès Masanas, to contribute to 'social peace' in the sector.
