THE world-famous Valencia Fallas started on Wednesday with the first daily afternoon burst of explosions called the Mascleta hitting the Plaza de Ayuntamiento.
Valencia City Council announced the same day that a record €1.94 million will be spent on cleaning up the streets and collecting rubbish during the celebrations.
That’s an 11.5% increase on the 2022 budget.
The authority says nearly 1,500 people will be involved in clear-ups on the last two days- the biggest of the Fallas- on March 18 and 19.
Initiatives and environmental educational activities have been launched to raise awareness for both local residents and visitors about the need to keep the city clean and to reduce the amount of rubbish.
Valencia’s urban ecology councillor, Sergi Campillo, said: “This is a very large operation to keep Valencia clean during the celebrations and the extra challenge is the large number of visitors following the pandemic and that the last two major days fall at a weekend.”
Over half the budget will be spent on extra staff followed by €272,000 for the collection of ash and sand after the ‘Nit de la Crema’.
“We appeal to everybody to minimise waste,” pleaded Campillo.
Environmental advice appears in the new Fallas guides and in special leaflets, with 100,000 reusable cups being sent to Fallas groups.