The Formentera Department of Environment reports that this Friday, local cabinet councillors will present for approval in the February plenary assembly a procurement contract for waste collection and transport, clean roads and beaches, green spaces conservation and maintenance and management of the island’s waste treatment plant. The eight-year contract comes with the option of a two-year extension and is valued at €31.5 million, with FDE chair Antonio J Sanz drawing attention to terms like an upgraded vehicle fleet, enhanced organics collection, new bins and more frequent pickup.

More organics, more bins
The contract covers standard waste, paper/cardboard, plastics and glass collection; door-to-door commercial pickup for “major waste generators”; door-to-door organics pickup for “mid-range” and major waste generators; door-to-door collection on pedestrian streets in Es Pujols and —absent from past contracts— kerbside organics bins as soon as two years after the contract’s entry in force. Councillor Sanz called it “the latest step in line with 2019 legislation on waste and polluted soils requiring 50% of all discarded material be recyclable”.

The incoming service provider will also be on the hook for upgrades of the island’s underground containers and their inside-and-out cleaning, not to mention new dustbins street side.

Pickup frequency, new equipment and e-vehicles
In addition to an upgraded fleet of vehicles including electric vehicles in the light fleet, the new terms envision enhanced material and human resources for more frequent service factoring for considerations like seasonal demand. Councillor Sanz said improvements ranging from increased collections to staff and e-vehicle additions sought to enable a more appropriate response to local demand.

Landscaping and road clearing will also be provided for, services Sanz said would require “more extensive material and human resources”, plus manual and machine-assisted beach cleaning and waterfront rubbish and recycling bins.

Path forward
The new contract will be put to tender when plenary backing is secured, with service rollout possible as early as year’s end. “Contracts like these can be slow-going and convoluted”, said Sanz, who confided he was nevertheless “hopeful this moves quickly because it’s of vital importance to the island”, describing the island’s former waste management contract as “obsolete” and “conceived for Formentera circa 2005”. He concluded by praising the department staffers who had “made this contract happen”.

24 February 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

The island’s league of civic associations reconvened last night at 7.30pm to share respective members’ feedback on formentera.eco and two different propositions regarding the scheme’s period of enforcement, a majority of attendees ultimately opting to extend the ceiling on vehicles over a longer period.

Mobility chief Rafael González described the decision by the Consell d’Entitats to extend formentera.eco’s July-August enforcement by a fortnight, including the last week in June and the first week in September, as “unprecedented”.

“Our vision for Formentera is underpinned by sustainability-forward projects like formentera.eco”, said Alejandra Ferrer. “These are crucial because they keep Formentera unique and natural. Plus, they strike a balance between ecology, tourism and the quality of life of islanders — so it’s all the more important that these processes incorporate participatory tools like the Consell d’Entitats.”

All told 29 associations and three political parties were represented at the gathering. The option of elongating the formentera.eco enforcement period secured 16 votes, while each of the other options —keeping regulation limited to July and August, and abstention— obtained half that number. Citizen participation councillor Vanessa Parellada said she was pleased with turnout at both sessions and with how quickly participants took to the virtual format.

Two related sessions of the Consell d’Entitats have been held online amid enhanced tier 4 public health regulations. Attending in person were President Ferrer, Councillor González, Councillor Parellada, a clerk and a senior Department of Citizen Participation staffer, with civic group and political party representatives, together with members of the media, tuning in online.

formentera.eco 2020
Councillor González gave attendees a recap of his presentation from the previous session, highlighting local legislators’ goal, one year prior to formentera.eco rollout, of reducing vehicles on island roads by 16%. Decision makers set yearly -4% benchmarks, hoping to hit the goal gradually over the 2020-2024 term. The incremental goal for 2020 was reached.

formentera.eco 2021

Proposal terms as communicated to Consell d’Entitats:

Reduce ceiling by 4% (relative to 2020 figures)
2019: 22,382
2020: 21,486
2021: 20,591

Regulatory period subject to discussion
The majority of civic groups backed Option 1, extending regulation over the last week in June and into the first week of September.

Fee-based or free of charge? Pending developments in the public health situation.

Councillor González reminded attendees that free advance reservations could be made in the permit request section of the formentera.eco site, which is expected to be back online in March. Bookings will be finalised in May and, pending developments of the pandemic, will be free or subject to payment. The fee-based scheme would see tourists paying €1 a day (€5 minimum) for compact cars and €0.50/day (€2.50 minimum) for motorbikes and scooters, with Formentera residents getting authorisation free of charge.

Authorisation is also guaranteed for travellers with bookings for overnight accommodations or arrangements to travel with a personal vehicle made before March.

Sustainable mobility
By González’s lights, “the formentera.eco endgame is a brand of sustainable mobility where foot traffic, bikes and public transport all gain ground against cars”. He pointed to a number of routes forward on the path to sustainability, like encouraging islanders to use public transport or a bike, and enlisting communications tools to spotlight sustainable ways to get around the island.

23 February 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera