Madrid residents have intensified their efforts to notify the City Council about street cleaning needs. This year, warnings to the council to maintain public spaces free of waste have risen by nearly 40% compared to the previous year, according to official figures from the Environment Department. This trend, previously noted, prompted Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida to launch an action plan.
The notification system is a municipal tool allowing citizens to report problems to the Madrid City Council for action. These alerts can be submitted via a mobile app, the municipal website, or by calling 010. The collected statistics provide insight into urban issues and the most affected areas, as notifications are categorized by district.
Data reveals a substantial increase in cleaning requests for public spaces, with notifications reaching 52,312 so far this year, a 39.8% rise from the same period in 2025. This growth is observed across all months and districts, though with significant variations. The districts with the highest volume of notifications include Centro, Puente de Vallecas, Ciudad Lineal, Latina, and Tetuán. Percentage increases are more pronounced in areas across different income levels, notably in Barajas, Tetuán, Centro, Salamanca, and Chamberí.
This trend, consolidating before the peak notification period (June to October), was already detected in 2025. It coincided with the City Council of Madrid's action plan, which included reinforcing staff by 300 workers and increasing fines. The mayor himself acknowledged that street cleaning did not meet desired standards.
The Madrid City Council clarifies that the notification system is separate from formal complaints. While notifications are increasing, complaints have decreased in recent years with significantly lower figures. The mayor had previously linked the rise in notifications to the service's effectiveness, suggesting citizens are more inclined to report when they see the service working.
The Environment Department also notes that street cleaning has fallen to sixth place in the municipal survey of city problems, with housing now being the primary concern. They highlight a 53% increase in the cleaning budget since 2021, along with other measures such as the new cleaning ordinance, which has resulted in 357 fines issued to date, mostly against businesses.
The Socialist Municipal Group has criticized the situation, stating that "Madrid is dirtier than ever" and that the record notification numbers "dismantle" the mayor's action plan. They argue the issue is not financial but stems from the waste management model, proposing a circular economy. They plan to raise the matter in district councils and plenary sessions, emphasizing the "territorial inequality gap in cleaning."
