To take an early morning stroll through the narrow streets of the old quarter of the city is to experience an assault on the senses, and not exactly a pleasant one. Tons of garbage adorn the pavement and ground, creating a curios panorama for the eyes. Nobody is surprised by the filth and dirt, as many years of experience have made its citizens realize that Pamplona is a small house for so many guests.
The cleaning services reinforce their workforce for these special days of fiestas and they work non-stop to ensure that they can keep control of the layers of trash, which last year came to a total of 1.034.400 kilos in weight, over the eight days of fiestas. In spite of their best efforts, it is inevitable that a pedestrian will have a feeling of “stickiness” on the ground as they walk along the pavements. It is impossible not to step on plastic glasses from time to time and very difficult to avoid stepping on the small pools which tend to form.
This very morning, just before the start of the running of the bulls, in the downtown Plaza de Castillo square, as hundreds of youths continued with their night-long partying, the workers from the cleaning department began to do their work. With hoses and plentiful water as well as brooms and brushes, by mid-morning the cleaning workers once more had the square looking like new.
