Painters and creative types across Spain have until 14 September to sign up for a quirky contest that will transform ordinary street covers in Benahavis into eye-catching works of art.

Aguas de Benahavis, the water firm jointly owned by Hidralia and the local town hall, has just launched the second year of its Urban Art Contest for Painting Manhole Covers. Entries opened on August 17 and stay open until the middle of next month. On Saturday 26 September the chosen artists will get stuck into Avenida de Andalucia, the main street through the mountain village, turning the metal lids into miniature outdoor galleries.

Last May’s first contest proved a big hit. More than fifty painters competed in three categories while live music kept the crowds entertained. Young Talent went to Coco Felicitas, Adults to Tatiana Legini and Professional to José Enrique Ragel. Organisers called it a collective canvas that locals and visitors still enjoy walking over.

How the day will run

Artistry kicks off at 5pm on September 26 with an hour and a half of painting. Judges then take fifteen minutes to deliberate before prizes are handed out from 7.45pm. The jury includes people from Hidralia, Benahavis Town Hall and last year’s professional winner, José Enrique Ragel.

Three categories are open: Adult, Young Talent and Professional. Cash prizes reach €750. Anyone can enter free of charge, whether they live in the village or not. Just head to elsaberdelagua.es to register.

Street art you can walk on

Once the brushes are down, those painted covers stay put. Everyday paths through Benahavis become permanent little galleries underfoot, a daily reminder that creativity can hide in the most unexpected places.

Benahavis already draws crowds for its feria, summer market and motorsport days. This contest adds another reason to wander the whitewashed streets and look down as well as around. Full details and entry forms sit on the official water company site, while the town hall pages at benahavis.es keep locals updated on cultural goings-on.

Anyone who has ever wrestled a toddler’s sticky ice cream wrapper into an overflowing wasp riddled bin knows the struggle and Marbella Town Hall has heard.

Bigger bins, less mess

Council chiefs have begun a refit across Marbella’s parks, playgrounds and green spaces, with 149 new bins being rolled out to replace tired, overflowing containers that have seen better days.

Gone are the old 30-litre containers. In their place, workers are fitting 50-litre units, a jump of 66.7 per cent in capacity per bin. Once the full rollout is finished, the combined capacity across all 149 bins will reach 7,450 litres, according to figures released by Marbella council. Overall, swapping out the smaller bins for the larger ones will add 2,980 litres of extra capacity across the area, concentrated in spots where families, children and daily visitors gather in large numbers.

Seventeen parks first in line

The first phase covers 109 bins spread across 17 public parks, adding up to 5,450 litres in total. Parque de la Constitucion tops the list with 25 new bins, followed by Xarblanca with 15, El Capricho with 19 and La Represa with six. Playground areas at Rio Huelo, Albarizas, Antonio Lizarza, La Chumbera, Distrito 5, Maria Auxiliadora, plaza de la Concordia, Manuel de Falla, La Patera II, calle Vazquez Clavel and Los Naranjos de Marbella will also benefit. Parque del Calvario is included too.

A further 40 bins, worth another 2,000 litres, are being held back in reserve for future repairs or reinforcement work elsewhere in the town.

Recycled materials and easier emptying

Each new bin is built from recyclable materials and designed for straightforward emptying. Crews can mount them on a dedicated post or attach them to existing supports, giving flexibility depending on the location. Old bins won’t go to waste either. Once taken out of service, they’ll be handed to the Parks and Gardens department, which will assess whether they can be repaired and put back to use somewhere else in town, cutting down on unnecessary waste.

Marbella has renewed more than a thousand bins over the past four years, with 500 fitted in 2022, 250 in 2023, 100 in 2024 and roughly 200 more planned across 2025 and early 2026. Combined, that fleet now provides a total capacity of 119,000 litres for street cleaning across the town.

Councillor Lopez explained that the scheme has rolled out in stages under a 2022–2026 framework contract covering high-capacity, sealed-design bins, chosen for their durability and low maintenance needs. Sealed 120-litre containers already installed in higher-traffic areas will continue operating too, with each model matched to the needs of its particular location.

Residents are reminded that the new bins are strictly for small amounts of rubbish while using public spaces, not for household waste or bin bags.