Spanish village turns horses into garbage men

Monforte del Cid near the Spanish city of Alicante hopes to halve its annual €400,000 (€539,000) rubbish collection budget with an old-fashioned system that was last used 50 years ago in the village.

According to a press statement by the village authorities, the rubbish-collecting horses will drag along carts equipped with everything from USB portals to solar panels for the vehicle lights.

The carriages even come with small metal trays that catch the horses’ deposits.

“It’s pioneering in Spain but there are more than 80 municipalities in countries such as France or Belgium where the horse and cart rubbish pick-up is being used successfully,” the communiqué reads.

Hipomóvil, as the scheme has been named, will mean village authorities no longer have to pay €125,000 per rubbish truck nor the annual €7,000 diesel bill.

Monforte del Cid’s “unattractive rubbish containers” will also be removed from the streets as villagers will be able to hand over their trash to the ‘new’ dustbin men when they knock on their doors.

The Town Hall is looking to use the money saved with the scheme to launch a waste treatment plant that will create new jobs and promote recycling among locals.