Mallorca waste fees: €103 million payments spark row
Mallorca’s waste fees: €103 million in island council payments over three years is at the centre of a row over rubbish charges and profits, according to opposition parties. On 7 October 2026, Tirme, the company that treats Mallorca’s urban waste, rejects claims that it makes excessive profits and defends the way its fees are calculated. The dispute follows a report by the Consell de Mallorca’s internal auditors that called the contract unfavourable and questioned its fee formula.
The report became public more than a month ago. Opposition parties PSIB and MÉS per Mallorca say it warned of unusually high returns and recorded the €103 million paid to hold down, subsidise or adjust fees.
Tirme disputes the profit figures
Tirme says the report compares profits only with the company’s own funds, leaving out external finance used for investments worth more than €620 million. Counting all the money put into the service, it puts its average return over the past six financial years at 6.08%, a figure it says also appears in the report. Since the contract began, Tirme puts the return at 2.95%.
The company says its annual fee adjustments follow its 1992 contract and methods approved by the Consell de Mallorca. Later calculations take account of factors including the amount of waste treated and the cost of diesel and electricity.
Who covers the cost?
The Consell de Mallorca wants to cut the general urban waste fee by 10% and make treatment of separately collected organic waste free for service users. According to Tirme, that organic waste treatment costs 14.5 million euros a year. The island council pays the amount so local councils do not have to.
Tirme says that without those payments it would bill local councils for the service, making charges higher for citizens. Rafel Bosch, who oversees finance for the island council, has said he will discuss a possible change to the urban waste treatment fee with Tirme after a new audit.
Topics: Environment · Economy
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com