Katalin Maria Polgar she is the owner of the restaurant Palm tree, in the Toscal neighborhood, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Specifically, in Calle de San Francisco Javier, number 18. In March 2021, municipal services, through Valoriza, the company that manages waste collection in the capital, placed seven containers (which until then they were on the same street, but 15 meters away) less than a meter from the door of their premises.
Since then he has been complaining, asking for help and suffering the consequences of this decision. Among them, bad smells, difficulty walking on the sidewalk as a result of the garbage that people deposit outside the containers, two attempts to fire these containers and rats that have entered his business on two occasions and that he has had to kill. and get herself out of the property with the help of her clients. “Luckily the clients who were there when the rats entered know me and know that my business is clean. If this is not the case, they will make a claim or they will not come directly. That is why I believe and say that they are playing with my bread, ”says the affected person.
With fire it indicates that the same thing happens. “I have several gas cylinders inside my premises and they have tried to set the containers on fire on two occasions. The last time was about two months ago and the neighbors called the police. There are 10 houses in the building and it is a real danger, but nobody does anything ”, he emphasizes.
Katalin says that during the 10 years that she has been in business, she has never experienced anything like this. It is a situation that takes away energy and that has led him, on many occasions, to speak with the public services of the City Council of the capital.
Last November, and after DIARIO DE AVISOS consulted the Town Hall, they contacted her and sent an inspector to the area. This official verified that the containers were at a shorter distance than they should be and announced that they would proceed to relocate them as soon as possible. “Give us 20 days to find a place for those containers and we will move them,” they told him. Without a doubt, this was a conversation that excited Katalin, who also offered two alternatives where she could install the containers without harming anyone, but the joy was short-lived. And it is that today, these containers are still in the same place, less than a meter from the door of the business where every day it offers food to its customers.
What is the response of the municipal services? “We’re on that. The proposal to change the garbage containers has already been transferred to the road safety area. We understand their position, but the service is working on it to relocate the containers as quickly as possible ”, they tell him.
The waste collection company, for its part, indicates that the location of the containers is the responsibility of the City Council itself.
“Tired and disappointed”, Katalin does not rule out taking legal action. “This is unsustainable and I am thinking of going to Health because I have no other option. What they are doing is not legal. The containers should be, at least, five meters from my premises ”, says this businesswoman.
