<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - manure]]> 10 <![CDATA[The Council lowers the garbage fee while the Intervention warns that the Tirme system is "unbalanced"]]>

The 10% reduction in the waste treatment fee approved this Wednesday by the Plenary of the Consell de Mallorca has been, in part, overshadowed by the tough political debate over the Tirme concession. The PSIB and Més per Mallorca have reproached the president of the institution, Llorenç Galmés, for maintaining a model that, in their opinion, continues to favor the concessionaire despite the warnings issued by the control bodies of the Consell itself.

]]> <![CDATA[They ask for an emergency plan in Llucmajor before the "health risk" due to waste]]>

The opposition in the Llucmajor City Council has asked the municipal government team to draw up an emergency shock plan in the face of the "health risk" generated by the accumulation of garbage in the areas of El Arenal and the urbanizations. The proposal, signed by PSIB, MÉS, Llibertat Llucmajor, and s'Ull, was presented this Wednesday at the information committee prior to the plenary session that will take place next week. The initiative, as the four parties reported in a joint statement, seeks to urge the government team to re-establish a minimum waste collection service in the face of the "chaos" of the "deficient" system that was implemented a few years ago and which has been "aggravated" by the currently accumulated dirt.

]]> <![CDATA[Shit crossing the sea]]> The Popular Party continues to be convinced – and often states it in the declarations of its leaders – that environmental policies are a brake on the economy. In terms of climate emergency, contrary to all the evidence we are already suffering, they remain at the point where sports commentator M. Rajoy left it when he spoke to us about his denialist cousin. It happens that this has direct consequences on citizens and the places where we live. For example, the cuts and oversights in environmental safety have caused deaths and disappearances in the flood in the Valencian Country and, recently, in the fires in Almeria. Climate change and its consequences is or should be one of the top priorities of governments, whether state, autonomous or municipal. Our right prefers to relativize it, and often, in relation to environmental policies, they come out with frivolities and jokes.A frivolity is that the Consell d'Eivissa, in a year like 2026, has not even begun to prepare a waste plan that can be called as such and that is in line with the European Union's directives in this matter, based on the precepts of the circular economy. Quite the contrary, Ibiza (due to the neglect of its rulers) separates less and recycles fewer waste. To make matters worse, the Ca na Putxa landfill is now ending its useful life cycle, which means an accumulation of waste and refuse that the oversaturated island of Ibiza cannot cope with. Solution from our authorities: we will take all this material to Mallorca and burn it there. We will transport it by boat and, once in Mallorca, in trucks that will circulate at night, "so as not to disturb traffic". Apparently, our rulers must not travel much at night, in the summer, on the Mallorcan roads. It is a magnificent idea: we will take the shit – we are talking about it – from a overflowing island to the neighboring island, also overflowing, but larger. As denounced by the platform against the transfer of waste from Ibiza (formed by 17 neighborhood and environmental organizations, established at the Son Sardina neighborhood center), the effects of this maneuver could be disastrous at all levels. We are talking about 80,000 (eighty thousand) tons of waste per year to be incinerated, in addition to the problems that Mallorca already has in managing its own waste: besides pollution and bad smells, public health problems can arise. The first transfer has already been made, not without last-minute setbacks.A bit of a joke, when the current government of the Consell de Mallorca was formed, was to appoint an environmental denier like Pedro Bestard, from Vox, as Minister of the Environment. Like when Mazón appointed a Francoist bullfighter as Minister of Culture of the Valencian Generalitat. These are things that amuse our right-wing leaders, but they are no longer so funny when they are applied to real management. Apart from his problems with official cars, Bestard is a person whose capacity to assume public responsibilities is reasonably questionable. Leaving a strategic social policy like the Environment under the supervision of someone like him, and such a delicate job as the transport of 80,000 tons of waste annually from Ibiza to Mallorca, is worse than recklessness. It is a demonstration of ineptitude that could have undesirable consequences, precisely for the environment and for people. And naturally, transparency in these waste transports is essential: exactly who is paid what amounts, when, how, and for what. We know ourselves.

]]> <![CDATA[Climate, life, politics]]> The exact number of people who have lost their lives due to extreme temperatures in Europe during the recent heatwave that has particularly affected the center of the Old Continent is unknown. Estimates suggest, now that we are beginning a new wave, more than 2,000 people in France, more than 1,200 in Belgium, and more than a thousand in Spain. Millions of animals intended for human consumption have also died. And shortly after the most intense days, thousands of hectares of forest are burning, because the high temperatures have turned forest masses into fuel.As happens with the Danes, a phenomenon somewhat more Mediterranean, we can act as if it had nothing to do with us, and deny, as the far-right does, that any of this has to do with climate change and global warming caused by human action. Politicians like Trump promise more oil than ever and cheaper; billionaires like Elon Musk pollute as never seen before with their continuous launches of satellites into Earth's orbit and their rockets to Mars; and genocides like Netanyahu drop tons and tons of explosives on Palestine and Lebanon which, in addition to annihilating human beings, have environmental effects that will last for generations.The denialist far-right conditions and shapes PP governments in various communities – the latest being Andalusia, the most populous in the country –, questions the work of the scientific community, and criminalizes environmentalism and the defense of life. Politics, in general, is not up to the magnitude of environmental and climate problems, which put the life and well-being of future generations at risk, as a then-adolescent Greta Thunberg, promoter of the "climate strike" that mobilized thousands of young people around the planet, and who today is considered a dangerous communist, already denounced a few years ago.The truly dangerous thing is to do nothing, or to do more of the same. It is also a waste of time getting bogged down, as they have done these days in France, in absurd debates about whether it is ethical to have air conditioning at home with temperatures above 40 degrees. This does not mean that, on an individual level, everyone should not do their part, but I can assure you that I have nothing to do with the more than 20 million tourists who will visit us this year, nor with the half dozen cruise ships that a few days ago unloaded more than 15,000 people at the port of Palma and emitted tons of polluting gases. Nor with the record number of private jets owned by billionaires (some from the area, like Miquel Fluxà) that generate as much CO2 as you and I do in a lifetime. Instead, most schools do not have air conditioning and no one demands accountability for it.We must be able to have air conditioning, and it is clear that we must use it responsibly, as we do with water. But if those who pollute the most and can do the most to prevent it do nothing, and no one forces them either, our contribution will be a grain of sand, but only a grain of sand. It is the politicians who must set rules that guarantee not only social justice, but also climate justice, which implies taking concrete measures that ensure the well-being of present and future generations.This legislature, which is already heading downhill towards the elections, began with a sensible acknowledgement from the President of the Government, who said that limits needed to be placed on our main economic activity, tourism. The figures today point in the opposite direction: we think that the increase in tourist spending and luxury tourism will redeem us, when in reality what they do is raise the prices of the most basic things for residents, starting with housing and continuing with food.Not only have the homework not been done, but in Mallorca we will continue to feed the largest incinerator in the Mediterranean with the waste from the tourists of Ibiza and we will fill the roads with trucks that will transport pre-treated shit so that it does not smell, while we hope that one day there will be real restrictions on car circulation, which makes life impossible for so many Majorcans. Spaces like Es Trenc are unprotected, and others that are, like a good part of the waters of the Balearic Islands, will experience the summer with more aggressions to Posidonia than in centuries, at the hands of ships of all kinds that have already planned to go see the eclipse from the sea next August.We will be very overshadowed. For a long time now, all of this has been unsustainable and words can hold up almost everything, except for the patience of the residents. Because, increasingly, the only ones who will be able to enjoy the island will be those who look at it from their luxury urbanization or from their yacht, while the rest of us resign ourselves to another summer without leaving our home cave. And no complaints, because at least we have a home.

]]> <![CDATA[The transfer of waste from Ibiza: details of a 24 million euro operation]]>

Mallorca will begin to receive next Thursday seven daily trucks of waste from Ibiza, five days a week, with a total of 3,000 tons of garbage each month. The pilot test for the transfer of waste from the Pitiusa island, which the island councils approved last Tuesday, will cost 24.6 million euros, as stated in the documentation of the file that ARABalears advanced. The agreement has been drawn up over a year, hidden from the opposition –it was not delivered until the Transparency Council requested it–, and it includes a reduction in the environmental criteria initially foreseen.

]]> <![CDATA[Bestard remarks that the tons of manure coming from Ibiza are not "shit"]]>

Pedro Bestard defended himself this Thursday against criticism from the PSIB for the transfer of waste from Ibiza to Mallorca, assuring on repeated occasions that "it is waste, not excrement" and insisting that the pilot test will have no impact on Mallorca. The second vice-president and Minister of Environment of the Consell de Mallorca had a tense confrontation with the socialist deputy Juana María Adrover during the plenary session of the insular institution.

]]> <![CDATA[Calls to halt the manure processing plant at Sant Carles Castle in Palma: "It's a monumental mistake"]]>

The heritage protection entity ARK has asked the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) not to grant the concession for the future liquid waste plant planned for the port of Palma, as it believes that it would directly affect the heritage value of the San Carlos Castle"One of the most valuable elements" of the area.

]]> <![CDATA[Large farms fail to report manure spills and strong odors in Son Venrell de Sineu]]>

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."

]]> <![CDATA[Ibiza will begin sending manure to Mallorca in April]]>

Next April, the pilot program to transfer waste from Ibiza to the Son Reus incineration plant in Palma is finally scheduled to begin, after months of political and legal debate on how to address the manure management crisis on the Pitiusas Islands. The Ibiza Council announced this Friday that the trial will cost 10 million euros and will involve the transfer of approximately 30,000 tons of waste, while the island's five municipalities have just finalized emergency plans to reduce manure generation. The stated objective is to extend the lifespan of the Ca na Putxa landfill in Santa Eulària, which was nearing capacity and had become a central point of contention in the waste management debate in the Pitiusas Islands. This pilot project comes after a complex and controversial political and legal process. The Balearic Islands Government had to approve a plan at the end of 2025. Decree law This decree provides legal cover for the transfer of manure between islands, after a previous decree, intended to include the transfer within the so-called Strategic Interest Programs, was rejected by Parliament. This decree also allocates €50 million from the Balearic Government to compensate the Consell de Mallorca for managing the waste it receives and allows the Consell to reduce its waste collection fee by up to 10% by 2026, as explained by the island institution.

]]> <![CDATA[Municipal taxes on the rise: each Menorcan will now pay 937 euros per year]]>

Each resident of Menorca will pay an average of €937 in taxes and fees to their local council this year. This figure is growing year after year, driven by the increase in public services and the need for local government to increase current revenue to cover the expenses of running the municipal machinery. The largest expense is personnel costs. Up to €603 of each taxpayer's contribution, almost two-thirds of the total, will go towards paying the salaries of the more than one thousand civil servants and public employees who work in local government in Menorca. Personnel costs, which until a few years ago rarely exceeded 30% of the municipal budget, are now approaching 40% in many cases. The growing needs of the population, especially in home care and social services, and, above all, the mandatory regulation of positions within the administration, explain this increase. At least three of the island's eight municipalities—Ciutadella, Es Mercadal, and Alaior—are beginning to implement this year the Job Classification System (RPT), negotiated over a decade ago with union representatives to accurately reflect the functions each employee performs. This "getting our house in order," as Ciutadella Mayor Llorenç Ferrer puts it, will entail an extraordinary expenditure of €2.7 million for the municipality starting in 2027. This, combined with the professional development component of the RPT, must be permanently incorporated into the municipal budget. "During 2026, we must work to secure new or increased sources of current revenue to sustain these commitments," the mayor added. In 2027, the manure ordinance will be increased, and other "outdated" fees will be revised upwards. Increased revenue from building permits is also expected. This is in addition to the measures already implemented this year, with increases in sewage, slaughterhouse, and towing fees, as well as the motor vehicle tax. Another half a million euros will be collected in property tax (IBI), and the recent transfer of tax management to the Balearic Islands Tax Agency (ATIB) is expected to boost revenue from traffic fines, including the installation of mobile speed cameras to catch more drivers committing infractions. Even so, per capita spending on personnel in Ciutadella will still be the lowest of the island's eight municipalities this year, at 519 euros per inhabitant. The City Council will allocate nearly 17 million euros, just a portion of the almost 31 million euros it expects to collect in taxes and fees. Spending in this area will indeed be above the Menorca average, as each resident will pay €947 in municipal taxes. The other two municipalities that will also implement the Employment Position List will likewise require their residents to pay more taxes. Es Mercadal, which allocates €4.1 million of its €13.2 million budget to personnel, expects to collect €8.5 million in taxes, an average of €1,315 per inhabitant. Apuesta has increased its personnel budget by 18.7%. Alaior, which has almost double the population of Es Mercadal, has also increased its budget, but will collect only slightly more in fees and taxes, €8.7 million, at a rate of €848 per citizen.

]]> <![CDATA[Farmers complain that the new waste registration system involves more bureaucratic hurdles.]]>

Farmers and livestock breeders who produce waste must be registered in the Balearic Islands' Waste Production and Management Registry to be able to treat it. Registration grants an Environmental Identification Number (NIMA) and costs 51 euros. Without this number, the company awarded the plastic collection contract cannot collect the manure, nor can it be delivered to TIRME (the Balearic Islands' waste management company). This requirement, imposed by the national waste law passed in 2022, means "more bureaucracy for farmers, with a giant trap," laments Joan Gaià, coordinator of Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). However, he believes the initiative is good if all the collected plastic is recycled, because "if all this fuss is just to end up burning the plastic, it's just asking for trouble." In this regard, he points out that plastic is still currently used as fuel, so "companies have no incentive to recycle it." Furthermore, he refers to the difficulty some farmers are having registering. "They'll have to hire people to do it for them," he says. The cost of registration must be borne by everyone, although producers who generate less than 1,000 tons of non-hazardous waste per year will not have to pay the fee established by the state waste regulations.

]]> <![CDATA[The waste from Ibiza will be unloaded at the commercial docks of Palma and Alcúdia]]>

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.

]]> <![CDATA[The Government approves the decree that allows the transport of manure from Ibiza]]>

The First Vice President of the Balearic Government and Minister of Economy, Antoni Costa, has stated that the Strategic Projects Decree, "100% agreed upon with Vox," legally enables the transfer of waste from Ibiza to Mallorca. Costa made this statement on Friday at a press conference following the Government Council meeting. He also explained that the decree does not establish deadlines, but rather creates "the legal framework that allows for the transport of waste from the island of Ibiza." The Government approved the new Strategic Projects Decree on Friday after reaching an agreement with Vox, with "slight modifications" to the original version. Among the key changes is that renewable energy projects cannot be expedited and will have to continue to be processed through the standard procedures.

]]> <![CDATA[The Consell de Eivissa does not foresee an immediate solution other than exporting waste to Mallorca]]>

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."

]]> <![CDATA[The residents of Son Sardina reaffirm their opposition to the importation of manure from Ibiza.]]>

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.

]]> <![CDATA[Spreading manure in Foravila: "Everyone is very natural and eco-friendly until they smell shit."]]>

Biel Barceló has a farm with almost 300 pigs and 100 sows on the road from Vilafranca to Porreres. He sows the grain he feeds the animals himself and, to do so, spreads the manure they produce because, he says, "it reactivates the soil and is much better than fertilizer." Although he tries to spread and cover it as quickly as possible "to avoid problems" with the neighbors (he spends about an hour between one thing and another), he is aware of the smell they create. "No matter how good the escampis is, all shit smells," he admits while standing next to a pile of manure he is about to spread.

]]> <![CDATA[Discontent grows over the filth in Palma's overflowing containers.]]>

Watermelon remains, furniture, clothing, cardboard boxes, and all kinds of waste frequently pile up outside overflowing containers in several Palma neighborhoods. The situation creates an image of urban neglect and has become one of the main complaints from residents, along with noise. "You go for a walk and find a whole heap of trash devouring the containers," laments a resident of the Paseo Marítim.

]]> <![CDATA[The strong smell of chicken droppings coming from a farm forces Manacor City Council to act.]]>

The strong smell of chicken droppings, coming from the land of a well-known Manacor company in the sector, which this last week has transformed the air of the city of Manacor into a foul odor that must be managed and which, on rural properties, has prevented even basic activities such as hanging clothes out peacefully, has finally found a municipal response.

]]> <![CDATA["The shit that doesn't pick up": Llucmajor City Hall appears covered in manure]]>

The façade of Llucmajor Town Hall appeared this morning covered in manure, construction waste, fences, and toilet paper. Hanging from the two lampposts framing the door of the town hall building is a large sign: "We'll leave you the shit that isn't picked up."

]]> <![CDATA[Aena handling workers in Palma work among fleas and cockroaches: "It's a disgrace."]]>

Workers of companies subcontracted by Aena to provide logistics and ground operations services to aircraft, airlines and passengers (handling) at Son Sant Joan Airport complain of working "among fleas and cockroaches." A worker on the ARA Baleares plane shows off her body "covered in flea bites." In fact, at the workers' demonstration this Friday protesting working conditions, the secretary of the UGT (Union of Workers' Union) for the air sector in the Balearic Islands, José Negreira, denounced that "there's everything in the baggage claim area." "We have workers with many bites all over the place. It's shameful," he reiterated. Along the same lines, he added that passengers, "when they board, they see fireflies running around." "The airport is the gateway for tourism to the Islands. We're the first face they see, and the service isn't very good," he insisted.

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