Axarquía Residents Prepare Plaza Protest Over Contested Municipal Waste Surcharge More than 200 homeowners in Vélez-Málaga organise an upcoming public demonstration at Plaza de las Carmelitas against contentious waste fee revisions. Grassroots anger across the eastern coastline has crystallised into organised public action, as more than 200 local homeowners prepared formal demonstration notices outside municipal offices this morning. The dispute centres on steep adjustments to local rubbish disposal taxes, which property owners argue impose unreasonable household burdens without improvements in municipal collection services. The protest committee confirmed plans to assemble in front of the town hall on Wednesday 7 October, congregating in the historic square of Plaza de las Carmelitas. The civic group includes both long-term Spanish locals and foreign resident homeowners who share frustrations over municipal budget increases passed without broader public consultation periods. Escalating Pushback Across Eastern Districts The controversy began following updated fiscal ordinances intended to align municipal refuse financing with national environmental directives. However, neighbourhood associations from Caleta de Vélez, Torre del Mar and the historic inland centre argue the revised calculations hit standard domestic properties disproportionately. Spokespersons for the campaign highlighted that multiple urbanisations have experienced stagnant service frequencies despite consecutive cost increases. Organisers spent Saturday morning distributing translated briefings to British, German and Nordic homeowners throughout Torre del Mar, ensuring foreign residents fully understand their representation rights within local administrative law. Town Hall Defends Mandated Revisions Municipal finance councillors maintain that changes were unavoidable under overarching European waste management compliance standards, which mandate complete cost-recovery for refuse handling. Even so, civic organisers insist municipal calculations can be audited and restructured to reduce the financial impact before tax collection begins later this autumn.