Alicante households can cut rubbish bills by 20% using brown bins

Alicante residents who regularly separate their food and organic waste could be rewarded with a substantial reduction in their annual rubbish bill. Through the city’s Tu Haces Alicante system, households can earn discounts of up to 20 per cent simply by recording regular use of the brown organic waste containers throughout the year.

Regular brown-bin use unlocks 20% discount

Alicante residents could cut their annual rubbish bill by up to 20 per cent simply by making regular use of the city’s brown organic waste containers.

The saving is linked to the Tu Haces Alicante system, which records household deposits of food and other organic waste through either a physical card or mobile phone app. More than 20,000 people are now registered with the app.

To qualify for the maximum 20 per cent reduction, households must record at least four organic waste deposits a month during ten months of the year, making a minimum of 40 qualifying deposits. Only one deposit per day counts.

Smaller discounts available with fewer deposits

Smaller reductions are also available. Eight qualifying months can earn a 15 per cent discount, five months 10 per cent and three months 5 per cent.

The deposits recorded during one year determine the reduction applied to the following year’s bill.

This means residents do not necessarily need to meet the requirements for the full 20 per cent saving to benefit. Regular participation at a lower level can still result in a reduction in the household rubbish charge.

Mobile app replaces physical waste card

Residents can use the Tu Haces Alicante app on their phones to open the electronically locked organic waste containers, rather than carrying the physical card.

The app also allows users to report street cleaning problems, follow their progress and request collections of unwanted bulky household items.

Using the app also makes it easier for households to keep track of their participation and see whether they are making enough qualifying deposits to secure a reduction for the following year.

Everyday recycling can reduce annual bills

For households already separating their food waste, remembering to register those brown-bin deposits could therefore turn an everyday trip to the bins into a useful saving.

With the maximum discount requiring at least four qualifying deposits during ten months of the year, regular use of Alicante’s organic waste system could ultimately reduce the following year’s rubbish bill by as much as 20 per cent.