The Catalan Public Sector Contracts Court has upheld the mega-contract for cleaning and waste collection in Lleida, a ten-year agreement that the municipal government of Fèlix Larrosa is selling as the definitive turning point for a city overwhelmed by neighborhood complaints. The ruling, published this Wednesday, confirms the legality of the process and clears the way for the final signing. But residents, who have endured years of overflowing bins and dirty streets, have heard too many promises to trust blindly.

The annual cost of the contract comes directly out of taxpayers’ pockets through rates and taxes. The municipal plenary approved the tender specifications in March, but the endorsement from the regional body did not arrive until mid-July, when heat multiplies health problems and the hardest-hit neighborhoods – Secà de Sant Pere, Cappont, Mariola – are once again suffering from service saturation. Months of administrative limbo during which improvements have been stalled.

The Catalan Public Sector Contracts Court, under the regional government, has examined the appeals filed during the tender process and dismissed them. The favorable ruling allows Larrosa’s government to sign the agreement with the winning company, but does not clarify the reasons that led some competitors to appeal. The opposition has criticized the opacity of the process.

The local government assures that the service will be launched as soon as possible, according to municipal sources cited by Segre. However, the improvements – expanding staff, renewing vehicles, replacing bins, and increasing frequencies – will be implemented progressively over the first year of the contract. Translation: tangible results will not be seen until next summer. For a city that has suffered episodes of sanitary collapse every summer, this delay is another dose of forced patience.

Skepticism as a response to a history of broken promises

Residents’ distrust is not unwarranted. The previous cleaning contract included promises of modernization that never materialized. Internal audits by the Paeria (Lleida City Council) have acknowledged recurring deficiencies, blamed on a lack of investment in machinery and personnel. Service workers have reported that an insufficient workforce is the main cause of delays and breakdowns.

The new contract promises to correct these shortcomings with an unprecedented budget. But citizens have learned to distrust grand announcements. The question lingering in the air is whether this time will be different. Larrosa’s government will need to prove with actions that the money will not end up padding another chapter of unfulfilled promises.

Political context: a contract that divides the plenary

The approval of the specifications by a majority in March reveals that there was no political unanimity. The PSC government defended the agreement as an urgent necessity, but opposition groups – especially those in the pro-independence camp – questioned its amount and the transparency of the process. The fact that the Catalan Court had to intervene to endorse the award suggests the tender was not without controversy.

For citizens of Lleida who feel Spanish and view the pro-independence drift of the regional government with concern, the fact that the body upholding the contract depends on the Catalan administration adds an extra layer of distrust. The management of public resources in Catalonia has been marked by corruption scandals and opacity that do not align with the transparency demanded by taxpayers.

The real impact on wallets and streets

Beyond the multimillion-euro figures, what matters to the Lleida resident is whether their street will be cleaner next summer, whether bins will be emptied as frequently as needed, and whether trucks will stop making noise at five in the morning. The contract provides for expanding the workforce, completely renewing the vehicle fleet, and installing newer, higher-capacity bins. Selective collection in neighborhoods will also be reinforced.

But all these measures are subject to the gradual implementation announced by the City Council. That means the first months of the contract’s duration will continue to operate with the same insufficient resources as always. Residents of the most densely populated neighborhoods, such as Mariola or Secà de Sant Pere, will continue to see overflowing bins while waiting for promises to translate into actions.

An opportunity that allows no further delays

The endorsement from the Catalan Public Sector Contracts Court clears legal uncertainty, but the real test is not in the paperwork, but on the streets. The amount the Paeria will spend over ten years is a huge sum that must translate into real and tangible improvement. If the contract is executed as planned, Lleida could take a qualitative leap in waste management. If the promises remain on paper, the political cost for Larrosa and his team will be high.

In a context of citizen disaffection and institutional distrust, the municipal government has an obligation to prove that this contract is not just empty rhetoric. Transparency in execution, periodic accountability, and neighborhood participation in monitoring the service will be key to ensuring the money does not become just another chapter in Lleida’s long list of broken promises. Citizens, who have heard the same speech far too many times, now expect actions, not words. And time is running out.