Washing Machine Dumped in Arrecife Street Leads Police to Two Residents
A washing machine left beside a rubbish container in Arrecife has resulted in two people being identified after a local resident recorded what was happening and passed the information to police.
The incident took place on Calle Tajaraste in Arrecife, where two people were seen leaving a washing machine and other waste next to a street container.
Rather than simply reporting the abandoned rubbish, a nearby resident recorded the incident and subsequently provided the footage to the Environmental and Solid Waste Unit of the Arrecife Local Police.
The information included an approximate time of when the dumping took place, giving officers an important starting point for their investigation.
No camera at the dumping spot – but police still found the vehicle
Interestingly, there wasn’t a surveillance camera directly covering the location where the washing machine was dumped.
However, officers were able to use municipal camera footage from other locations in the surrounding area, together with the information supplied by the resident.
This enabled them to identify the vehicle that had been used to transport the waste.
Further enquiries then led police to the two people allegedly responsible. Both have been identified as residents of the municipality of Arrecife and are being proposed for sanctions for breaching the city’s Municipal Cleaning and Sustainability Ordinance.
It’s worth stressing that being proposed for a sanction is not the same as saying a fine has already been imposed. Any penalty will be dealt with through the relevant procedure.
Arrecife takes illegal dumping seriously
The incident comes as Arrecife continues to tackle the problem of bulky waste and rubbish being abandoned on its streets.
The city’s new Cleaning and Sustainability Ordinance, approved in 2026, sets out rules covering waste disposal and the cleanliness of public spaces. The regulations also contain a significant range of possible penalties depending on the seriousness of an offence.
For example, the ordinance provides for fines of between €3,005.06 and €30,050.60 for serious offences, although the appropriate classification and penalty depend on the individual circumstances of each case.
So, while nobody should assume that the people involved in this particular washing-machine incident will receive a specific fine, the message from Arrecife is becoming increasingly clear: leaving bulky rubbish on the street isn’t an acceptable alternative to using the proper disposal services.
There is a free alternative for residents
And this is perhaps the most useful part of the story for anyone living in Arrecife.
The Ayuntamiento provides a free bulky waste collection service for items such as unwanted furniture and household appliances.
Residents can arrange collection rather than leaving large objects beside a normal rubbish container.
According to information published by the Ayuntamiento, the service can be requested by calling 928 815 560 or via WhatsApp on 629 793 705. The council has also reminded residents that collection is arranged by appointment.
The council’s own figures demonstrate just how much bulky waste is being dealt with. During 2025, its municipal collection service removed 584,330 kilos of bulky items, although the number of requests made by residents fell compared with the previous year.
That includes the sort of things that can be awkward to dispose of properly – mattresses, furniture, large appliances and other household items.
A problem for residents and visitors alike
Anyone who spends time in Arrecife, Lanzarote will have seen the occasional sofa, mattress, appliance or collection of unwanted belongings left beside a container.
Apart from making the streets look untidy, abandoned bulky waste can obstruct access to rubbish containers and make it harder for people to use them properly.
For a busy island such as Lanzarote, keeping public areas clean isn’t just about appearances either. Arrecife is the island’s capital and is used every day by residents, workers and visitors.
For tourists staying in apartments or holiday accommodation, the same principle applies: large unwanted items should never simply be left beside a bin because it looks like the easiest option.
Accommodation providers, landlords and visitors should all make sure unwanted bulky items are dealt with through the appropriate collection arrangements.
An AI Generated Image has been used in this Article
