Ibiza’s city councils have fail to comply with the Balearic Waste Law, passed in February 2019, which, on the one hand, gave a period of two years for the implementation of the collection of organic matter (the new brown bin) and, on the other hand, to modify the municipal waste ordinances in order to separate the cost of management for each type of waste generated by citizens. Santa Eulària and Sant Joan do not yet collect organic matter and neither council distinguishes costs according to the waste that is deposited in one container or the other.
Sebastià Sansó, director general of the Govern’s waste department, reminds councils that they had a period of two years from the passing of the waste law (three years have already passed) to “reflect in their by-laws the costs of managing each type of waste generated” in order to apply “the polluter pays principle” and also with the aim of meeting the recycling targets set by European regulations. “If they have not done so, they are in breach of the waste law,” warns Sansó, who points out that it is “the responsibility of local councils” to establish mechanisms to identify citizens who do recycle and adjust the cost of their bills.
Sansó connfirms that “there are systems” for applying it, such as the implementation of containers with identification cards that calculate the weight of the bag that is deposited, or door-to-door collection, although this method is complicated on an island like Ibiza, where the population is widely dispersed.
The waste law foresaw that as of July of last year a waste fee would be collected in order to tax bad practices. The Balearic Ministry of the Environment is also in breach of the waste law because it has not yet activated this tax, which will be invested entirely on the island to improve the management of its services. Sansó affirms that the decree regulating the fee is “about to be approved”.
Forecast of 650,000€ collected in waste law fees
With the 2019 waste collection data, and considering that the collection of organic matter was not yet applied in any municipality, the Balearic Govern estimated that the collection on Ibiza in the first year of application of the new fee would amount to a total of 650,000 euros. It should be borne in mind that the municipalities that do not collect organic matter or distinguish the cost of managing each type of waste in their by-laws will pay more. “The level of taxation is increased so that not everyone has to pay for the party and so that those who do it badly, pay much more. The idea is to change habits and do justice”, explains Sansó.
The Ibiza City Council is working on the modification of its waste ordinance, but, according to a spokesperson, the idea of applying the principle of payment per generation will affect “large producers”.
In the case of Sant Josep, a spokesperson reports that there is a first draft to introduce “the progressivity sought by the Balearic Waste Law” and work is still being done on this document. The possibility of linking the rate to the surface area of the dwelling is being considered, with a higher cost for “villas or larger buildings”. As for pay-as-you-throw, “various options are being studied given the complications posed by household collection”. “It is considered more feasible to do so with large producers,” they added.
The Sant Antoni City Council explains that that it already applies a 53.7% discount on the rate for citizens who use the recycling facilities at least four times. In addition, “work is being done” to update the tax ordinance to improve the rebates following the implementation a year ago of the collection of organic matter and the sorting plant, but no mention is made of the payment per generation, which is required by law.
The new waste fee will be paid according to what is buried in Ca na Putxa
The new waste fee will be applied on the amount of waste that is buried in the landfill of Ca na Putxa. The general director of Waste, Sebastià Sansó, assures that it will be calculated from the efficiency of the sorting plant (the percentage of waste that is recovered). To the amount of grey container waste that each council, through the concessionary companies, sends to Ca na Putxa, the corrective percentage will be applied according to the efficiency of the plant. In other words, if one tonne is sent and the efficiency is 50%, the fee will be applied to half a tonne.
Santa Eulària and Sant Joan, pending new contract
Santa Eulària is considering implementing home collection in the new service contract
The Santa Eulària and Sant Joan city councils have not yet started the general collection of organic matter because they are processing the new municipal service contract. Santa Eulària is considering the possibility of implementing home organic waste collection in the new contract. “It is a bet to encourage compliance [to recycle] although it is complex,” says a spokesperson, who indicates that organic matter is being collected from individual producers: 178 individual containers.
As for the modification of the ordinance, the Consistory, while waiting for the service to be awarded, is working to include a user indentification system (not only individual producers) and thus comply with the differentiated payment according to the types of waste generated and whether or not the containers are used properly, according to a spokesperson.
The Sant Joan City Council is more advanced with the new waste contract and is about to award it again to Herbusa, at a cost of 1.8 million per year, double the current one and which will involve a change in the container system and the renewal of the fleet of trucks. “We will double the service”, indicates councilman Andreu Roig, who states that, after its implementation, after the summer, the ordinance will be modified to adapt it to the new service. He considers that payment by generation can be applied to “large producers”, but that in the case of citizens, due to its “complexity”, “bonuses” should be applied for the use of the recycling facilities.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.