Mallorca’s €50m waste grant sparks fee-cut row

Mallorca’s promised 10% cut in waste charges is at the centre of a €50 million row: a government grant the island council said would make the cut possible is tied to the cost of handling rubbish from Ibiza (Eivissa). MÉS per Mallorca raised the document at the island council meeting in Palma, Mallorca, on Thursday, 8 October. The council says it will carry on reviewing the charge and pursuing a separate €41.4 million payment to its waste contractor, Tirme.

What the grant covers

The Balearic government’s decision, dated 13 July 2026, provides for the €50 million to be spread over up to ten years to help pay for treating rubbish from Ibiza. To keep receiving the money, the council must document costs linked to taking in and treating that rubbish, or to investments made by the contractor.

That differs from how the council presented the grant on 7 July, when it said a 10% cut in waste charges would be possible thanks to the money. MÉS spokesperson Catalina Inés Perelló said the conditions show it is not a grant for a direct cut in charges.

Council presses on

The Socialists (PSIB) called for both the charge review and the proposed €41.4 million payment to Tirme to be halted. Their motion failed when the People’s Party (PP) and Vox voted against it. The council’s internal financial watchdog had given the proposed payment an unfavourable assessment.

Finance councillor Rafel Bosch said neither plan would stop. He did not address the grant document, but defended the way the charge is calculated under a 1992 contract. He said the payment to Tirme was intended to keep families from paying more.

Topics: Environment · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com