The Council of Mallorca lowers the environmental requirement for Ibiza's waste and will import it in bulk

PalmaThe Consell de Mallorca has lowered the environmental requirements for importing waste from Ibiza in bulk. The agreement to start the pilot transfer plan has not yet been signed, but all documentation is formally approved and ready. In the file, to which ARA Balears has had access, a rectification is appreciated in the technical reports on the conditions under which this waste must be transported. If initially it was required that it be done in compact, pressed and sealed packages, known as shrink-wrapped bales, it has finally been accepted that certain fractions of the load are sent to Mallorca in bulk.

This is stated in the agreement pending signature. This document foresees that the waste "must be packaged in bales" in Ibiza, which in turn must be "compacted with straps and shrink-wrapped". However, the same document establishes that "in accordance with the pilot nature" of the agreement, which can be extended for up to two years, some of this waste may be "transported in bulk, once stabilized, under appropriate conditions to avoid dispersion and possible nuisances during transport".

The initial requirement to transport all waste in shrink-wrapped bales, to eliminate bulk transport, is based on the technical report from the head of the Management and Execution service of the Consell de Mallorca dated September 16, 2025. This document, based on a study provided by the Government, established two conditions for importation: that the transfer be made exclusively in shrink-wrapped bales and that the option of bulk transport be completely eliminated. This stance, in turn, was based on the recommendations of an original study by the consultancy BBAsesores from 2024, which recommended baling to improve logistics and environmental management. This report is cited in various official documents of the Consell that form part of the file.

However, the Consell d'Eivissa responded in December 2025 that this option was not technically viable and proposed other forms of transport. Given this difference in opinion, the Consell de Mallorca requested clarification from BBAsesores, which in January 2026 responded to the island institution that baling the waste was a "recommendation" and not an obligation. In an initial statement, the consultancy recommended shrink-wrapped bales with the aim of "optimizing transport, preventing the material from decomposing during transport or storage, avoiding leaks, rainwater penetration, and odor emissions." However, the same report admitted that there was little professional experience with "biostabilized" materials, which are those in question.

Based on these two statements, the consultancy gave the island councils the green light to proceed with another formula. In its clarification, it highlights that bulk transport is "perfectly valid" as long as appropriate environmental measures are applied. The flexibility of the criteria is included in the fourth clause of the agreement, which authorizes bulk transport for the duration of the pilot test. The change in requirements is therefore based on a technical review motivated by Ibiza's inability to apply the initial recommendations. Sources from the Presidency department of the Consell de Mallorca emphasize that transport will be carried out ensuring the proper treatment of waste, on "perfectly sealed" platforms and in accordance with the environmental directives of the European Union.

Are there any transport expenses?

Although Diario de Mallorca published this week that the start of waste import was imminent, citing statements from the president of the Consell d'Eivissa, Vicent Marí, the Presidency Department of the Consell de Mallorca denies it. They insist that the agreement has not yet been signed and that, in any case, once it is, a ten-day period will be opened to initiate each import from Eivissa. The same sources insist that the operation will not entail expenses for the institution of Mallorca. The reason is that Eivissa will be responsible for the land and sea transport of the waste and, moreover, will pay a fee for each ton of waste that enters Mallorca.

However, the explanatory memorandum of the agreement acknowledges that the use of Mallorca's facilities may entail an economic cost. This operation could mean a repercussion of up to 17,237,380 euros over the two years planned for waste import, in matters such as the wear and tear of Mallorca's waste treatment plant, Son Reus. The Government allocated a subsidy of 50 million euros to the Consell de Mallorca precisely to mitigate expenses associated with the use of infrastructure. Thus, although the Consell de Mallorca does not have to make any financial contribution, the operation will consume resources and infrastructure.

97.781 tons of waste

The total amount of waste from Ibiza that Mallorca will receive is still unknown. The documents in the file establish that this figure will be proposed by Ibiza as long as Mallorca accepts it. In fact, the Consell de Mallorca has the right to stop the operation at any time. According to the justification report for the collaboration agreement, it is foreseen that Ibiza may send approximately 97,781 tons of waste to Mallorca between June 2026 and May 2027, while Mallorca will generate 496,277; and 81,485 between June 2027 and March 2028 (496,277 in Mallorca). This represents an increase of between 14 and 16% in the waste that the Son Reus incinerator will have to manage.

Thus, the same sources from the Consell emphasize that the Mallorca plant is currently working at 70% capacity and, therefore, can afford to receive waste from Ibiza. The technical report from the company that manages Son Reus, TIRME, does not specify this figure, but merely certifies that the plant has sufficient annual capacity to absorb the extra load from Ibiza and even foresees the temporary storage of the rejected material in a warehouse. The same sources highlight that the operation will result in a reduction in the waste tariff paid by residents in Mallorca. At the close of this edition, the Consell d'Eivissa had not yet responded to the information requests from ARA Balears.

The PSIB denounces opacity

The PSIB has this week denounced the "absolute opacity" of the Consell de Mallorca in the face of the "imminent" arrival of waste from Ibiza. Socialist councilor Joana Maria Adrover denounced on Monday that residents, town councils, and the opposition still have no information about the start of the pilot plan. "The PP's management on the Council is a frontal attack on democracy and transparency," she lamented.

MÉS per Mallorca has denounced in a statement that the start of waste transfer will mean more environmental burden for Mallorca, without any guarantee of a reduction in the waste treatment fee paid by the town councils.