Escaldes-Engordany Approves Joint Waste Tender with Andorra Parishes

Escaldes-Engordany's communal council has unanimously approved a collaboration agreement with Andorra's seven parishes to jointly tender waste collection services, a step enabling Encamp to launch the process next February.

The 10-year contract will replace the current one, which expires in August 2026, and includes specifications tailored to each parish's terrain, climate, and settlement patterns. Officials described drafting the tender documents as complex due to differences like high-altitude parishes affected by ski season seasonality and Escaldes-Engordany's compact layout. Details remain pending, including whether one or multiple companies will provide the service. For Escaldes-Engordany, costs are projected at around €13.6 million over the decade. All parishes must still ratify the agreement.

Councillor Magda Mata, responsible for human resources, social action, environment, and Madriu Valley, praised technicians from all communes for their collaborative effort. Opposition leader Anna Garcia echoed the praise, calling it a "heavy and complicated" task involving extensive work on variations across parishes. Cònsol Major Rosa Gili highlighted potential benefits, saying joint contracting would optimise resources and possibly secure better prices than individual deals. She added that the move ensures continuity for a service nearing the end of its maximum term.

Gili noted Escaldes-Engordany's door-to-door collection, currently in residential areas like Els Vilars, Can Diumenge, Étang Salé, and Hortalets de Ribó, continues successfully despite initial resident hesitations. The parish boasts some of Andorra's highest recycling rates, earning government praise. Officials are studying expansion to more zones based on building configurations, with plans to consult affected neighbours and assess viability carefully.

The session also featured the oath of permanent communal traffic agent Eduard Salsas Chinchilla after his probationary period.

Councillors reviewed responses to recent icy conditions in central parishes, which sent about 100-134 people to emergency care for falls. Garcia said technicians confirmed roads were salted promptly but sidewalks lagged, missing peak commuter times. A new protocol now integrates circulation and environment departments for faster street-level response. Gili described post-event meetings as routine to update procedures, noting no special weather alerts were issued and teams acted quickly once notified. She framed it as an unusual winter episode, adding that departments normally operate independently.