The People's Party (PP) intends to extend the pilot program for transporting manure from Ibiza and Formentera to Palma to 10 years. This was denounced on Wednesday by MÁS per Mallorca, who warned that the proposal was introduced through an amendment to the draft law on accelerating strategic projects, disguising a change in the model as a simple technical modification.

The tranquility in Sineu and the Son Venrell area has been disrupted once again. The Macrogranges No platform has reported a new manure spill to the Ministry of Agriculture on the property where the mega-farm was to be built. It occurred on Thursday, March 19th. According to the organization, the spill caused "strong odors" that spread throughout the municipality of Sineu and were clearly noticeable even to residents of Lloret de Vistalegre, generating considerable public concern. The incident was not only documented by local witnesses, but the Sineu Local Police and agents from the Seprona (Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard) were also notified and carried out the necessary on-site investigations. The platform has expressed its "grave concern" about the environmental impact these practices could have in an area "considered vulnerable, especially due to the risk of nitrate contamination of the subsoil and groundwater."

The presidents of the Ibiza and Formentera councils announced this Wednesday that they will request the use of funds from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS)—formerly known as the ecotax—to cover the costs of transporting waste from the Pitiusas Islands to the TIRME plant in Mallorca, as part of a waste management pilot program. According to estimates, approximately 91% of the waste will come from Ibiza and 9% from Formentera, and the annual costs of the pilot program are estimated at around €10 million. During the summer, the population of Ibiza doubles and that of Formentera triples, which proportionally increases waste generation. Council officials believe it makes sense for the tourism sector to contribute, through the ITS, to solving this shared problem.

MÁS per Mallorca has expressed concern over the announcement that a pilot program to transfer up to 30,000 tons of waste from Ibiza to the Son Reus incinerator will begin next April. The eco-sovereignist party denounces this decision as confirmation that the People's Party (PP) is turning Mallorca into a dumping ground for waste from other islands, operating opaquely and without the Mallorca Council having any real role in the decision-making process.

The Council of Mallorca is not ruling out importing Menorca's waste to Mallorca. The vice president of the island institution, who also serves as the councilor for the Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports, Pedro Bestard, stated this Thursday that Menorca "has not yet made any request" to transfer its waste to Mallorca, but assured that "the plant has the capacity to receive it." Regarding rumors that the Balearic Government commissioned a report assessing the transfer of Menorca's waste to Mallorca, Bestard insisted that "at this time, nothing can be said because nothing is known." However, he emphasized that if Menorca "submits a request to transfer its waste, the process will be studied." And what about the transfer of Ibiza's waste?

Although there is already talk of importing waste from Menorca to Mallorca, the transfer of manure from Ibiza Bestard admitted that they "don't yet have a pilot plan in place." He explained that, due to the recent approval of the regulations providing legal cover for waste transfers, some data is still missing, and "until everything is finalized, there won't be a complete file," he emphasized. Therefore, it's still unknown when the waste imports will begin, but he asserted that "they will definitely be transported this year," and he hoped they would be moved "before summer." He further specified that "they are studying how it can be transported."

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Energy demand is a key indicator of resource consumption, and in the Balearic Islands, it continues to rise at a rate that experts consider unsustainable. In October 2025, consumption reached 413,700 MWh, 7.9% more than the previous year, and the cumulative figure for January-November rose by 3.9%. This sustained trend shows that the Balearic Islands are unable to break free from an inertia based on shattering resource consumption records, even with the massive incorporation of self-consumption solar systems. The Islands face 2026 with the urgent need to revise their production and territorial model, because otherwise, the climate targets for 2030 and 2050 will be difficult to achieve.

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The Consell de Mallorca will apply a 10% reduction to the municipal solid waste (MSW) collection fee starting in 2026, with retroactive effect from January 1st. This was announced by the island institution in a press release. The fee reduction is possible following the ratification, on December 16th in the Balearic Parliament, of the Decree-Law on urgent measures to accelerate strategic projects, which provides legal cover for the pilot program to transfer waste from Ibiza to Mallorca, specifically the residual waste fraction. The Decree also provides for a subsidy from the Government to the Consell de Mallorca, as the waste receiving authority, directly or indirectly through the amortization of the investment costs made by the company contracted to operate the treatment plants in Mallorca. The total amount of this contribution is 50 million euros, distributed over ten years.

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The waste from Ibiza that will be transferred to Mallorca will arrive at the ports of Palma and Alcúdia and will be unloaded "at the same docks as commercial cargo," according to Antoni Ginard, director of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), speaking on the radio program ARA Baleares. The APB maintains that the facilities can handle the operation, while the Balearic Government is preparing the legal framework to send up to 30,000 tons of manure to Son Reus. The public body wants to ensure the continuity and smooth operation of the waste disposal process with other port activities, such as tourism and passenger transport, which "are of paramount importance" to the facilities. The APB manages approximately 18 million tons of cargo annually, so the director believes that these two ports can handle the transfer of 30,000 tons of Ibiza's waste, a quantity of waste that is expected to arrive at Son Reus by May 2026, according to the Government's projections. "We move more than 18 million tons of goods a year. This isn't a problem," he says.

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The only short-term option the Consell d'Eivissa (Island Council of Ibiza) foresees for valorizing waste from the Pitiusas Islands is the export of manure to Mallorca, according to sources within the island institution speaking to ARA Baleares. Therefore, the fact that the Waste Law has not yet been amended to include this operation significantly complicates the waste situation in Ibiza. The Ca na Putxa landfill is very close to the end of its useful life, as waste generation in Ibiza has skyrocketed in recent years. For this reason, the two island councils, with the supervision of the Balearic Government, decided that transferring manure to Mallorca would be the best temporary alternative while a permanent solution is being discussed. According to the Consell d'Eivissa, the definitive solution—which involves permanently transferring the waste to Mallorca or building an incinerator plant in Ibiza—has not yet been chosen. Furthermore, while awaiting the final measure, the temporary solution cannot be implemented either, because Vox blocked the decree-law on accelerating strategic projects in Parliament, which the governing teams of the Ibiza and Mallorca councils intended to use to provide legal cover for the project. The failure to amend the Waste Law (which prohibits exporting waste between islands) has also prevented the pilot program—scheduled to begin in October of this year and end in May 2026—from taking place. This pilot program was meant to bring approximately 30,000 tons of Ibiza's waste to Son Reus. Given this uncertainty, the Mallorca Council has not even included the 50 million euros that the Balearic Government owes the island institution to compensate for the environmental costs of importing waste from Ibiza in the 2026 budget—which was initially approved this Monday. Sources within the island institution have justified the exclusion of the €50 million from the 2026 budget by stating that the initiative "does not yet have legal backing." Although the Consell (Island Council) has not included the waste transfer in its budget and the project currently lacks legal approval, the Councilor for the Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports of the Council of Mallorca, Pedro Bestard, asserted that the waste would be transported from Ibiza to Mallorca.Period."

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The budgets of the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) do not include the 50 million euros that the Balearic Government owes the island institution to compensate for the environmental costs of importing waste from Ibiza. Thus, the transfer of waste between the islands hangs by a thread after the far right dropped the decree-law on accelerating strategic projects in Parliament – the very decree the governing team intended to use to provide legal cover for the project. Sources within the island institution have justified the exclusion of the 50 million euros from the 2026 budget by stating that the initiative "does not yet have legal backing." Although the Consell has not even budgeted for the waste transfer and the project currently lacks legal approval, the Councilor for the Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports of the Consell de Mallorca, Pedro Bestard, assured that the waste would be taken from Ibiza to Mallorca.Period."

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The Algaida Town Council has begun the gradual elimination of the eight waste collection points in the municipality. The goal is to streamline the recycling system and reduce the constant illegal dumping. This is all part of the transition plan to the new Algaida recycling center, which opened last October. The first collection point to be eliminated was the one on the Sencelles road, the closest to the new municipal collection center. Although residents of the area can now go directly to the new recycling center to manage all their waste, the Town Council has detected the first instances of illegal dumping in the area formerly occupied by the collection point. Therefore, despite the closure of these collection points, the surveillance cameras remain active. According to the planned schedule, the next areas to be closed will be the Montaña area (December 1st) and the Porreres road area (December 15th). Next year, the Castellitx branch will close (January 1st), as will the Cemetery branch (January 15th). The Son Lluc, Pina, and Randa branches will also close, with the closing date yet to be determined.

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The plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) approved on Thursday, with votes in favor from all political groups and the abstention of MÉS, a 20.5% reduction in the fee for the treatment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) for 2026, double the amount targeted by the governing team. The approved CDW fee will be €33.57, compared to €42.23 per ton in 2025. "The Island Waste Management Department has made a great effort so that we can approve this significant reduction today, which we know will benefit many citizens and demonstrates our effective management," said Pedro Bestard, Councilor for Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports. During his speech, Bestard explained that the government team's commitment to reducing the rubble treatment fee by 10% has been doubled because it is known that this will positively impact citizens' finances. There has been a significant increase in the amount of construction and demolition waste entering the system, resulting in a record 744,000 tons being managed last year, well above the 622 tons of the previous year, he explained. This type of construction and demolition waste comes from construction, demolition, and renovation projects, and allows for a high percentage of recycling and material recovery, thus avoiding the use of new materials for construction. The bulky waste fee is reduced by 7%.

The council also approved the other two rates stipulated in the contract with MAC Insular, the company that manages the public waste collection service, which will take effect next year. Specifically, the rate for bulky waste (RV) will be reduced by 7% in 2026, from €178.15 per ton to €165.58. Meanwhile, the rate for end-of-life tires (PNFU) will be €107.74 per ton, compared to €118.03 in 2025, representing an 8.72% decrease.

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The residents of Son Sardina met this Wednesday at the community center to discuss their reasons for opposing the importation of manure from Ibiza. They held a neighborhood meeting to share the various arguments justifying their rejection of this proposal.

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The Council of Mallorca will reduce the Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) rate on the island by 20.51% next year. With this reduction, the fee will drop from the current €42.23 per ton to €33.57. The initiative, announced this Monday by the president of the island institution, Llorenç Galmés, will be debated at the plenary session of the Council on November 13th. The new rate results from the annual review stipulated in the contract with the concessionaire of the public waste service, MAC Insular. Galmés noted that this is the second consecutive reduction, as the island institution lowered the CDW rate by 4% earlier this year. "In just two years, we have managed to reduce the construction and demolition waste treatment fee by 24%, far exceeding our initial target. This government is very clear that politics should serve the interests of citizens and should solve real problems, not create new ones and stifle them with tax increases."

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The Coastal Cleaning Service has closed the 2025 season with a total of 36,804 kilos of waste removed from the Canary Islands' coasts, representing a 32% increase compared to the previous year. The campaign, carried out between May and September, aimed to preserve environmental quality and safety in coastal and port areas, the Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle reported in a statement on Saturday. In total, the 23 vessels deployed—eight inshore and fifteen beach-oriented—operated for 153 days, collecting an average of 269 kilos of waste per day.

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Sencelles Town Council has requested that the Balearic Government's Directorate General for Water Resources conduct an urgent technical study on the environmental impact of industrial waste into the Solleric stream following the death of around twenty trees in recent days.

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Waste from Ibiza will be taken to Mallorca "and that's it," is how Pedro Bestard, the Minister of Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports of the Mallorcan Council, responded to Catalina Inés Perelló, a member of MÉS for Mallorca, regarding the current status of the pilot plan for waste transfer.

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The GOB (Basque Government) and the Son Sardina residents' association have expressed their firm rejection of the importation of waste from Ibiza to Mallorca, on the same day that this measure is expected to be approved in Parliament through the decree of measures to accelerate strategic projects.

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Cleanup day in the Garganta Park in Puerto de Pollença, with the participation of the Muelle Residents' Association, the Marine Ecology Classroom, Pollença Civil Protection, and local residents. During the effort, large quantities of waste that was degrading this natural space were removed, including bicycles, a wrecked motorcycle, a scooter, motors, chairs and tables, wheels, numerous glass beer bottles, cans, lightweight plastics, cigarette butts, lighters, diapers, and condoms, among other items.

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The Catalan government has amended the Waste Law to legalize the importation of manure from Ibiza to Mallorca, and has done so without major announcements, taking advantage of the approval of the Decree Law on urgent measures to accelerate strategic projects, approved earlier this month. However, after removing the obstacles that the Waste Law posed to the transfer of manure between islands with the decree law, Marga Prohens's government is now obliged to submit it for parliamentary validation.

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