Date Published: 16/02/2026
Lorca brings in earlier bin collection times in winter following concerns from elderly residents
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The new rules will allow rubbish to be put out from 5.30pm throughout Lorca during the colder months
Lorca City Council is making progress in drafting a new General Ordinance on Street Cleaning and Municipal Waste Management, which will replace and update the regulations that have been in force since 2005 and bring them in line with current demands.
Councillor Juan Miguel Bayonas has announced that one of the main changes in the text is the implementation of a new waste deposit schedule, a measure that's been designed after a process of active listening and direct contact with locals, with special attention to the issues raised by older people during the winter months.
"Specifically, during the winter months, when temperatures are lower and there are fewer hours of daylight, the schedule is brought forward to 5.30pm," Mr Bayonas explained.
According to Councillor Bayonas, "this updated schedule responds to the demands raised by numerous citizens, especially older people, who had expressed their difficulty in going out to deposit their rubbish at excessively late hours during the winter, sometimes with low temperatures."
He added: "This is the confirmation of a thorough face-to-face testing work with citizens of all ages and places of residence in the municipality, tasks carried out and aimed, fundamentally, at improving the quality of life of the people of Lorca, and with special attention to our elderly."
The new schedule works as follows: from March 20 to September 21 (spring and summer), people will be allowed to throw their rubbish out from 8pm to 11pm. From September 22 to March 19 (autumn and winter), deposits will be allowed from 5.30pm to 11pm.
For other waste such as packaging, paper and cardboard or glass, no specific time limitations are being set, as long as neighbourhood rest is respected. The schedule will apply both in the urban area and in the outlying districts.
The measure is the result of Lorca City Council's commitment to citizen participation and active listening, a line of work in which the Department of the Elderly has played a prominent role by maintaining permanent contact with older people in the municipality. Their contributions, based on experience and real day-to-day needs, have been fundamental in detecting difficulties and adapting public services, moving towards a closer Lorca designed for everyone.
This regulatory advance comes alongside a significant improvement in urban services since July 2023, with measurable results. Selective collection services have increased by 35.2% compared to the figures for the 2019-2023 period, which Mr Bayonas describes as "LIMUSA's biggest environmental leap in years."
A record figure has been reached in the collection of paper and cardboard with 1,649,000 kilos in 2025, and the historical maximum in light packaging with 925,000kg recovered in 2025.
"And it is worth highlighting the quantitative jump in street cleaning days carried out with a 16.4% increase, highlighting that twice as many services are provided in districts than in the previous legislative period," Mr Bayonas pointed out.
"Lorca City Council will continue to report on the next steps until the final approval of the Ordinance, as well as the publication of the announcement that will officially establish the new schedule. We continue working for a cleaner, more sustainable Lorca and, above all, more comfortable to live in, listening to the locals and adapting public services to their real needs," the councillor concluded.
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