La entrada Ibiza already has permission to send waste to Mallorca: keys to the decree and open questions se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
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The Govern activates the shipment of garbage from Ibiza to Mallorca after agreeing the new decree with Vox
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Defining tons, costs and logistics: the next steps after the decree allowing waste to be sent from Ibiza to Mallorca
Ca na Putxa landfill at the limit and legal framework of the relocation
The BOIB states that the useful life of the island landfill of Ibiza, in Ca na Putxa, is about to run out, a situation that empowers the Consell de Ibiza to agree in full the transfer of waste from the island to Mallorca. The legal text establishes that «the totality of the waste fraction of the residues» can be sent to the Majorcan treatment plants, so that the exit of garbage is limited to that fraction of rejection that can no longer be recovered or recycled.
In addition, the decree itself specifies that this authorization is of a temporary nature and will be in force until the approval of the island’s waste management master plan, which must establish the definitive model for the treatment of these materials. This reference directly links the measure to the situation of Ca na Putxa and to the calendar for the revision of the island’s master plan.
Who decides the shipment and for how long
The new provisions clarify which institutions have the last word on the transfer of waste between Ibiza and Mallorca. On the one hand,
The BOIB also states that the validity of this transfer scheme is maintained only until the new waste master plan of Ibiza is approved, without detailing specific deadlines for that review. Thus, the regulation configures the shipment to Mallorca as an exceptional and transitory measure, linked to the current situation of the landfill and future island planning, but without turning it into a permanent solution.
Pilot plan: concessionaire and financing by Ibiza
The decree also incorporates the obligation to carry out a pilot test of the waste transfer before the system is fully implemented, an aspect that had already been advanced in the political debate in recent weeks. According to what was published in the BOIB, the concessionaire of the waste service of Ibiza will be in charge of executing this pilot plan, once the duration has been agreed between the Consell de Ibiza and the Consell de Mallorca.
As for the financing of this initial phase, the text specifies that the pilot plan will be borne by the Consell de Ibiza, as stated in the official information. The decree does not specify whether this cost will be passed on later via taxes or other instruments, but it does make it clear that it will be the Ibizan administration that will assume the cost of the test that will allow to evaluate the operation of the transfer before its definitive application.
50 million ceiling and many pending details
The other major figure included in the BOIB is that the transport of waste between Ibiza and Mallorca will involve a maximum budget of 50 million euros over ten years, an amount that the Balearic Government will pay to the Consell de Mallorca to meet the expenses derived from this system. In this way, the regulation sets an economic ceiling and a reference period of a decade, with the Autonomous Community being in charge of transferring the funds to the Mallorcan institution.
What is still unknown
Beyond these general conditions, the decree does not detail how many tons of waste will be transferred, nor how often, nor from what exact date the pilot plan will start, elements that remain to be specified in the agreement between the two councils and in the agreements with the concessionaire and the shipping companies. Neither is it specified in the BOIB how these costs will be reflected in the garbage rates paid by users, an aspect to be defined in future political decisions and ordinances.
In short, the publication in the BOIB closes the necessary legal framework so that waste from Ibiza can travel to Mallorca and sets the main coordinates of the operation -motive, competent institutions, temporary nature, pilot test and economic limit-, but leaves for a second phase the specification of volumes, schedule, operating conditions and possible impact on the island’ s waste collection bills.
La entrada Ibiza already has permission to send waste to Mallorca: keys to the decree and open questions se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada An incinerator in Ibiza or transferring waste to Mallorca: citizen participation process begins se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>This will determine the model of «finalist treatment of non-hazardous waste on the island of Ibiza«, given the proximity of the end of the useful life of the ca na Putxa landfill, which, according to the latest assessment of the technicians, is estimated at just over 6 years.
The Sectorial Master Plan for the Prevention and Management of Non-Hazardous Waste on the island of Eivissa is the territorial planning instrument whose purpose is to «regulate the planning, projection, execution and management of the general infrastructure, equipment and service systems necessary for the management of non-hazardous waste, define the waste prevention and management model for the island of Eivissa, establish objectives adapted to current regulations and program the actions and instruments necessary for the development of the Plan».
As reported, in the session of February 7, the Executive Council of the Consell Insular de Ibiza «has agreed to initiate a participatory process to determine the final treatment model for non-hazardous waste from Ibiza«.
This process is divided into two phases: one aimed at the general public and the other aimed at those members of the public who are considered interested persons in accordance with the aforementioned regulations. «Said persons will be determined in the agreement of the Executive Council and will constitute a working group that will hold joint sessions.»
From the Consell have detailed that the initiative, driven by the Department of Environmental Management , aims to define a «new model of finalist treatment of waste from the treatment plant waste, since the model that defines the current plan, deposit in the controlled landfill of Ca na Putxa, has two major limitations, so it is expected to put. This decision will condition the management of waste on the island of Eivissa in the long term and will have important environmental, social and economic repercussions that will directly affect all citizens».
«All members of the public have the right to participate through the formulation of comments or allegations, expressing their observations and opinions when all options are open and before final decisions are made. To exercise this right, the information and documentation currently available on the alternatives under analysis is made available to the public, without prejudice to other documentation that may be incorporated during the process,» they state.
Public participation will begin with the consultation of the documentation and the creation of a consultation mailbox ([email protected]). Subsequently, a survey will be enabled and the mailbox will be maintained for suggestions and comments for a period of one month.
At the time, from the consistory had highlighted the «breadth of the study that was commissioned in 2019, whose data were subsequently updated by an alternative study commissioned by the neighbors of the landfill. In any case, they are currently working on a methodology that allows, thanks to the data already available to the Consell de Ibiza and other administrations such as the Balearic Government and the municipalities, to update and conclude these studies to extract the most useful and updated information possible. This methodology will be exposed and submitted to a period of public participation, always ensuring transparency and strict compliance with the law».
Negotiations
The Balearic Government has been optimistic about the possibility of resolving the conflict between the Consell de Ibiza and the Consell de Mallorca in a short time. However, so far, Mallorca has refused to receive Ibiza’s waste for incineration at Son Reus, leaving a viable solution to the problem up in the air.
The Consell de Ibiza is committed to transferring part of the waste to the incinerator of Son Reus, in Mallorca, and is even proposing to carry out pilot tests to demonstrate that the measure is feasible and safe. However, the Consell de Mallorca has so far rejected this option, closing the door to any negotiation on the issue.
During the Intermunicipal Conference of the PP on the island, the president of the Government, Marga Prohens, assured that the autonomous Executive is looking for a solution «that is good for everyone» and that it must be agreed between the Consell de Ibiza and the Consell de Mallorca.
The spokesman of the Executive, Antoni Costa, pointed out in the last press conference after the Consell de Govern that the solution must come from the island institutions themselves.
Costa has recognized that the situation in Ibiza is «very serious» and that the landfill has an «expiration date», so it is urgent to find a viable solution. However, the Govern has chosen not to intervene directly, urging both councils to reach an agreement.
An urgent solution
The Platform ¡Hay Soluciones! has called for an urgent solution to prevent the island from running out of space for its garbage. Their proposal is clear: rule out the construction of an incinerator in Ibiza and move the rejection fraction to Mallorca, where there is an infrastructure already prepared for it.
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La entrada An incinerator in Ibiza or transferring waste to Mallorca: citizen participation process begins se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada Vox speaks out on the future of waste management: «Our option is the incinerator in Ibiza». se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>Meanwhile, the Balearic Government maintains its position of not intervening directly in the conflict, although it insists on the need for an agreement between the Consell de Ibiza and the Consell de Mallorca. During the Intermunicipal Conference of the PP in Ibiza, the president of the Government, Marga Prohens, stated that her Executive seeks a solution «that is good for everyone», but avoided pronouncing herself on whether she supports the transfer of waste to Mallorca.
For his part, the Mallorcan president, Llorenç Galmés (PP), assured yesterday that Mallorca will show solidarity while demanding a global agreement within the community in the face of the «very serious» problem of waste management in the Balearic Islands.
Vox Ibiza vs Vox Mallorca?
In this context, in statements to La Voz de Ibiza, the councilor of Ibiza in the opposition, Jaime Diaz de Entresotos (Vox), has argued that the best long-term solution is to build an incinerator in Ibiza, although he recognizes that the investment required is «brutal» and that the island can not afford it in the short term.
«Our long-term goal is to have an incinerator here. However, this involves an investment of about 200 million euros, something that is not going to be achieved in the next four or five years,» he explained.
A temporary solution: relocation to Mallorca
Although Vox Ibiza prefers an incinerator on the island, Díaz de Entresotos has made it clear that his group would not oppose a temporary solution that involves transferring waste to Mallorca, as long as it is done with guarantees.
«If in the meantime waste has to be transferred to Mallorca, we could not be inconvenient either, as long as this is done with the logical guarantees,» he points out.
However, the councilor has warned about the visual and logistical impact of the constant transit of garbage trucks to the port.
Díaz de Entresotos also warned about the logistical difficulties and the impact on Ibiza’s tourist image if the plan to move waste to Mallorca is implemented. «The problem is fundamentally what effect does it have on tourist quality to have trucks and trucks carrying 250 or 300 tons of garbage every day to a ship in the port,» he says.
The councilor says that this would generate a visual contrast in the middle of the port area, with yachts and tourists watching how garbage is loaded on the boats. » We are not only talking about luxury yachts, because I don’t care about those, but also about the traffic on the roads, the effect this would have on mobility,» he adds.
In addition, he mentions that Ibiza does not have sufficient infrastructure to carry out a massive waste transfer efficiently. «If this plan to take waste to Mallorca were as simple as it is proposed, it would have been done before. But of course it is not that simple,» he anticipates.
According to his calculations, the island generates between 200 and 300 tons of waste per day, which would imply about 20 trucks per day transporting garbage to the port. However, he acknowledged that it is likely that the fraction rejected would be less. » The world of waste is much more complex than people imagine,» he reflects.
The conflict with Vox Mallorca: «Each island must take care of its waste».
One of the most striking aspects of the debate is the position of Vox in Mallorca, which rejects the reception of waste from Ibiza. On this point, Diaz de Entresotos acknowledges that he has not discussed the issue in depth with Pedro Bestard, the Minister of Environment in Mallorca, but he has received «a couple of messages» from him.
«Pedro Bestard’s position is that each island should take care of its own garbage. Perhaps the appropriate expression has not been to say that ‘each island should take its own shit’, but that is the idea he defends», accepts Díaz de Entresotos.
Asked if this position could become more flexible over time, the councilor responded that if there were a firm commitment to the construction of an incinerator in Ibiza, Vox Mallorca could reconsider its position.
«If we have a commitment from the Partido Popular or the ruling party that an incinerator is going to be built, we would not protest if the garbage is temporarily taken to Mallorca,» he says.
He also insists that he does not consider that Vox in Ibiza and Mallorca have a contradiction in their positions, but that they respond to different contexts. «There is no contradiction. It is no contradiction, it is a temporary issue,» he assures.
Ca Na Putxa landfill: «It has been poorly managed».
Díaz de Entresotos has also been critical of the lack of investment in the Ca Na Putxa landfill, assuring that the measures adopted have been «palliative» and ineffective.
«The landfill should have received more investment. What has been done have been maintenance things, such as placing covers or installing some probes to reduce gases, but it has been a poor solution,» he laments.
The Vox councilor also warns about the environmental impact that subsoil contamination can have if adequate measures are not taken.
«How it affects the groundwater needs to be monitored very seriously. Some areas of the landfill have been compacted, but the root problem has not yet been addressed,» he warns.
The recycling problem and the role of Ecoembes
Another of the points criticized by Diaz de Entresotos is the recycling model in Ibiza, which he considers inefficient. There he has not been slow to come down hard on Ecoembes, the non-profit organization that manages the collection and recycling of light packaging (plastics, cans and briks) and paper/cardboard in Spain and which has been criticized for lack of transparency and for not guaranteeing efficient recycling of plastic waste.
«Ecoembes is the big joke in this country. It does not do the job it should do. It comes once a year and passes everything,» he criticized. According to him, this is causing large amounts of material to accumulate in Ca Na Putxa, which contributes to the problem of the landfill continues to grow.
The future of waste management in Ibiza
On the role of the Balearic Government in this conflict, Diaz de Entresotos admits that he is not clear who has taken the initiative in this matter, so he does not enter into assessments. «I don’t know if it was Marga Prohens or Vicent Marí. I have no record that the president of the Consell has been the one who asked the Balearic Government to intervene in this», he doubts.
Finally, the councilor reiterated that the position of Vox Ibiza is not contradictory to that of Vox Mallorca: «What we propose is a temporary solution. We are not building things in a crazy way, we are looking for logical and coherent solutions», he concludes.
Citizen participation
The open debate has arrived before Ibiza has made a decision. The Consell de Ibiza announced that it was going to promote a process of citizen participation that has not yet been launched.
La entrada Vox speaks out on the future of waste management: «Our option is the incinerator in Ibiza». se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada Ibiza on alert and on the edge with its waste: pressure grows to transfer non-recyclable waste to Mallorca se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The Balearic Government has been optimistic about the possibility of resolving the conflict between the Consell de Ibiza and the Consell de Mallorca in a short time. However, so far, Mallorca has refused to receive Ibiza’s waste to incinerate it in Son Reus, which leaves a viable solution to the problem up in the air. The spokesman of the Executive, Antoni Costa, pointed out in the last press conference after the Consell de Govern that the solution must come from the island institutions themselves.
While the Consell de Ibiza is looking for an alternative to avoid the saturation of the Ca Na Putxa landfill, Mallorca has reiterated its refusal to receive waste from the Pitiusas Islands for incineration in Son Reus, generating a disagreement that still has no clear solution.
Costa has recognized that the situation in Ibiza is «very serious» and that the landfill has an «expiration date», so it is urgent to find a viable solution. However, the Govern has chosen not to intervene directly, urging both councils to reach an agreement.
Despite the tension between the parties, the Autonomous Executive hopes that the conflict will be resolved soon, although without specifying what alternatives could be implemented in case a consensus is not reached. In the meantime, the lack of space at Ca Na Putxa remains an imminent problem, making it necessary to define a clear strategy to avoid an environmental crisis in Ibiza.
What to do with the waste?
The debate centers on what to do with the reject fraction, i.e., the non-recyclable waste that currently ends up in the landfill. According to the Platform, the most efficient way forward would be to transfer this waste to the TIRME energy recovery plant in Mallorca, which already has the necessary infrastructure and operates at less than full capacity for much of the year.
For some time now, residents of nearby towns such as Jesús, Roca Llisa, Can Furnet, Cala Llonga and Talamanca have expressed their concern about the environmental and social impacts derived from the decisions taken regarding waste management.
Now, with the pressure of the State Waste Plan, which demands a reduction in the amount of waste destined for landfills, the Consell de Ibiza and the Balearic Government must define the treatment model to be followed.
Waste shipment to Majorca, a viable and efficient option
The TIRME incinerator in Mallorca, in operation for more than 20 years, was designed as part of a regional solution for waste management in the Balearic Islands. According to the ¡Hay Soluciones! Platform, its use would avoid the high economic and environmental cost of building a new incinerator in Ibiza, optimizing existing facilities.
The argument in favor of waste transfer is based on several factors. Currently, different fractions of recyclable waste, such as glass, paper and packaging, are already transported to Mallorca and the mainland. In addition, in the past, the TIRME plant has received imported waste from other countries, such as Ireland and Italy, for energy recovery. If this infrastructure has been able to receive external waste, why could not assume the fraction rejection of Ibiza and Formentera, raise from the Platform .
However, the opposition of Pedro Bestard (VOX), Conseller of Environment of the Consell de Mallorca, has generated controversy. Bestard has distanced himself from the position of other representatives of his party in Ibiza, who consider this option viable. For the Platform, this refusal lacks technical argumentation and responds more to a political position than to criteria of efficiency in waste management.
The Govern and the key role in the regional strategy
The general director of Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Climate Change of the Balearic Government, Diego Viu, has pointed out that the Government must adopt a regional approach to waste management. In a recent speech in the Balearic Parliament, he insisted on the need to coordinate efforts with the island councils and bet on sustainable solutions aligned with European guidelines.
This vision fits with the Platform’s proposal, which insists that the Balearic Islands has the opportunity to become a reference model in efficient waste management. The European Union recommends prioritizing the use of existing infrastructures rather than building new plants, and the incinerator in Mallorca meets the required standards in terms of energy recovery.
The Consell de Ibiza, for its part, has commissioned a technical study to the company IDOM to evaluate the different options available for the treatment of the rejection fraction. The Platform has demanded that this report be published as soon as possible and that a process of public participation in decision-making be guaranteed.
The clock is ticking
One of the critical points of the debate is the time factor. In less than five years, Ca Na Putxa could reach its limit and the administrations have not yet made a firm decision on what to do with the rejection fraction. While the Platform defends the option of Mallorca, the delay in the decision-making process generates uncertainty about the future of waste management in Ibiza and Formentera.
The Consell de Ibiza raised the possibility of opening a process of citizen participation, but has not yet established specific deadlines. The Platform considers that the time for debate is running out and that it is necessary to adopt a clear position based on technical and economic criteria, without politics blocking viable solutions.
The upcoming visit of the president of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, to Ibiza between February 15 and 17, will be a key opportunity for the Government to take action on the matter. The Platform has requested a meeting with her to present its arguments and demand an immediate response.
La entrada Ibiza on alert and on the edge with its waste: pressure grows to transfer non-recyclable waste to Mallorca se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada The Consell de Mallorca rules out receiving garbage from Ibiza for the moment se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
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According to the newspaper Última Hora, the concessionary company considers that the infrastructure of Palma would have sufficient capacity to manage these remains and that the state waste law provides financial aid for inter-island transport. However, the Consell de Mallorca has confirmed this technical consultation, although for the moment they rule out taking charge of the waste from Ibiza. In any case, it would have to be previously treated, in addition to being packed before its transfer to be incinerated in Palma, according to Última Hora.
The position of the Consell de Ibiza
The Consell de Ibiza confirmed to La Voz de Ibiza that they are «studying a series of alternatives included in a study-report that was carried out at a technical level. They are evaluating the alternatives included in the report, in which this option is included, but there is nothing concrete». At the time, from the consistory had highlighted the «breadth of the study that was commissioned in 2019, whose data were subsequently updated by an alternative study commissioned by the neighbors of the landfill. In any case, they are currently working on a methodology that allows, thanks to the data already available to the Consell de Ibiza and other administrations such as the Balearic Government and municipalities, to update and complete these studies to extract the most useful and updated information possible. This methodology will be exposed and subjected to a period of public participation, always ensuring transparency and strict compliance with the law». Precisely, from the Consell have reported in recent days that theprocess of citizen participation «is in the technical evaluation phase and are the assessments that are working to present at the beginning of the year». In addition, they detailed that the technicians value about 6 and a half years the useful life of the Ca na Putxa landfill.
Taking into account the processing times and the studies required to develop a project of such magnitude as the construction of an incinerator – at the time Ca na Putxa was proposed as the most suitable place for this – the years ahead of the landfill’s operation make the problem a battle against time.
La entrada The Consell de Mallorca rules out receiving garbage from Ibiza for the moment se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada The Consell de Mallorca rules out receiving garbage from Ibiza for the moment se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
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According to the newspaper Última Hora, the concessionary company considers that the infrastructure of Palma would have sufficient capacity to manage these remains and that the state waste law provides financial aid for inter-island transport. However, the Consell de Mallorca has confirmed this technical consultation, although for the moment they rule out taking charge of the waste from Ibiza. In any case, it would have to be previously treated, in addition to being packed before its transfer to be incinerated in Palma, according to Última Hora.
The position of the Consell de Ibiza
The Consell de Ibiza confirmed to La Voz de Ibiza that they are «studying a series of alternatives included in a study-report that was carried out at a technical level. They are evaluating the alternatives included in the report, in which this option is included, but there is nothing concrete». At the time, from the consistory had highlighted the «breadth of the study that was commissioned in 2019, whose data were subsequently updated by an alternative study commissioned by the neighbors of the landfill. In any case, they are currently working on a methodology that allows, thanks to the data already available to the Consell de Ibiza and other administrations such as the Balearic Government and municipalities, to update and complete these studies to extract the most useful and updated information possible. This methodology will be exposed and subjected to a period of public participation, always ensuring transparency and strict compliance with the law». Precisely, from the Consell have reported in recent days that theprocess of citizen participation «is in the technical evaluation phase and are the assessments that are working to present at the beginning of the year». In addition, they detailed that the technicians value about 6 and a half years the useful life of the Ca na Putxa landfill.
Taking into account the processing times and the studies required to develop a project of such magnitude as the construction of an incinerator – at the time Ca na Putxa was proposed as the most suitable place for this – the years ahead of the landfill’s operation make the problem a battle against time.
La entrada The Consell de Mallorca rules out receiving garbage from Ibiza for the moment se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada The Consell de Ibiza transfers 15 million to UTE Giref to cover investments in the landfill site se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The agreement with the Govern and its impact on waste management
The Councilor of Finance, Salvador Losa, has highlighted that an agreement has been signed with the Balearic Government to finance the 15 million euros claimed since 2007 within the framework of the waste agreement. However, he has clarified that the Govern will make the payments in a term of 10 years, including interests, which will raise the total figure to about 17 million euros, as reported by Radio Ibiza. Losa has advanced that this agreement could generate savings for the municipalities, since it is expected that the municipalities will pay 1.2 million euros less annually to the UTE Giref as operating fee. From now on, a regulatory agreement will have to be formalized with the company to define the precise terms of the tariff reduction based on technical criteria and tons of waste generated. «We cannot yet specify how much the garbage bill will be reduced, whether it will be one euro or five, we will evaluate it according to the volume of waste,» Losa stressed.
The opposition questions the management of the Consell
From the opposition, Josep Marí Ribas, spokesman for the PSOE, criticized the Consell’s decision to use its cash surplus for this transfer. «The Consell is playing the role of a bank without need, when it could have managed these funds as they were sent by the Govern», he said, suggesting that these resources could have been destined to more urgent and necessary projects for the island. For his part, the councilor of Unidas Podemos, Óscar Rodríguez, has accused the Partido Popular of using the new state waste law as an excuse to justify the increases in the bill. «They hide behind this regulation, when the increases should have been made gradually in previous years,» commented Rodríguez. Marí Ribas also recalled that the European directive that obliges member states to review their waste management policies was promoted at the time by Miguel Arias Cañete, a former PP minister. «Now they blame the central government, but this is a regulation that the PP supported from its origin in Europe,» added the socialist spokesman.
Legal uncertainty and the future of the agreement
Losa has admitted that the application of the European directive has generated legal uncertainty for both the administration and the companies, as reported by Cadena Ser. «This situation has generated insecurity in management, and we hope that with this transfer some of that uncertainty will be mitigated,» he said. The agreement, in addition to guaranteeing economic relief for the municipalities, will make it possible to define the criteria for waste management on the island for the coming years. However, it remains to be seen whether the reduction in the garbage bill will be significant enough to satisfy citizens and opposition groups.
La entrada The Consell de Ibiza transfers 15 million to UTE Giref to cover investments in the landfill site se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
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