The Government is waiting for Vox to import waste from Ibiza to Mallorca.

PalmThe 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.

The Popular Parliamentary Group will need the support of Vox to maintain the implementation of the Decree Law and the importation of waste. It is assumed that the left-wing parties will not agree, and Prohens is forced to secure support from the far right again, which, if not forthcoming, would complicate the transfer of manure from Ibiza. Relations with Vox have had constant ups and downs, and at this time there is no formal commitment to support the decree that includes the measure. It should be remembered that legislative decrees cannot be approved by articles when they are validated; they must be approved in their entirety.

In any case, the current regulation eliminates the impediments of the Waste Law and authorizes the Ibiza Council to "adopt a plenary agreement by which, with prior authorization from the Mallorca Council, it sets the eventual conditions of reception, determining the transfer of the waste fraction of the waste to the plants.

The adoption of this agreement will imply the declaration of a public service for the transfer, including both maritime and land transport. This transfer may remain in force until the revision of the Ibiza Sectoral Master Plan for Waste Prevention and Management is approved, which must establish a definitive system to manage this rejected fraction.

The Decree Law in question did not include this objective in the explanatory statement, but the Executive has taken advantage of it to push forward the modification of the Waste Law and clear the way for imports. According to the Government, "given the imminent end of the useful life of the waste landfill from Ca na Putxa, on the island of Ibiza, is authorized for its energy recovery."

Before launching this import operation, "a pilot test of this transfer will be carried out by the concessionaire of the mandatory island public service, the cost of which will be assumed by the Consell de Ibiza or by the public or private beneficiaries of the service, as appropriate," says the text. Therefore, the service cannot be started until it is proven that the operation does not generate technical problems.

Exceptional

The import of waste has been proposed as an "exceptional and provisional" solution, with a public investment of up to €50 million to cover its transfer operation. However, this measure has raised concerns among environmental organizations and opposition parties, who warn that it could become a permanent solution, costing Mallorca enormously. This situation has raised alarm among environmental and neighborhood organizations, who consider transporting waste for burning an "irresponsible and unsustainable solution."

The operation has also been criticized for its lack of strategic planning and the potential chronic nature of the problem, with the risk that Mallorca will end up indefinitely absorbing waste from other islands. Residents of Son Sardina, for example, have denounced a "brutal" lack of coordination and a sense of "institutional disregard" in the face of this situation.