Ibiza's Socialist opposition has criticised the municipal government over the timetable for the city's new waste collection and cleaning contract after the Town Hall approved an extension of the existing agreement with Valoriza.

The PSOE says the municipality has lost more than a year in preparing the new contract and argues that the extension is a consequence of what it describes as insufficient planning by the current government.

The criticism came after the municipal plenary approved the continuation of the existing service on September 24, 2026.

PSOE says more than a year was lost

Socialist councillor Pep Tur said the government had failed to advance the new contract quickly enough.

According to the PSOE, no work specifically aimed at the new cleaning contract was carried out between February 2024 and May 2025. The party calculates that this represents more than a year in which the process could have been advanced.

The PSOE has therefore linked the need to extend the current Valoriza contract to what it considers a delay in municipal planning. These are the opposition party's claims and political assessment of the process.

The new contract covers several services

The future contract is intended to cover the collection and transport of municipal waste, including separate collection, as well as street cleaning and beach cleaning.

The municipality began preparations for the new service during 2026. In January, it launched the tender for technical, economic and legal assistance to prepare the documentation and studies required for the future contract.

The assistance contract had a base budget of €194,749.48 plus VAT and was intended to assess the existing service, determine future needs and prepare the contractual documentation.

A process already under way in 2026

The January tender followed an earlier announcement that the municipality intended to commission an economic study for the new contract.

The study was expected to examine the future cost of the service, possible management models, price-review mechanisms and the future waste charge, alongside technical work relating to the collection and transport system and street and beach cleaning.

This means the assertion that no work was undertaken on the new contract at all should be treated carefully. The PSOE's criticism specifically concerns the period between February 2024 and May 2025, while documented preparations for the new contract were under way by January 2026.

Current contract with Valoriza extended

The existing service is operated by Valoriza, and the municipality has now approved an extension while the replacement contract is being prepared.

The extension means the current service will continue while the necessary studies, technical documentation and subsequent procurement process for the new contract are completed.

Earlier in 2026, the municipality had said that the existing contract was approaching its end and that preparations for the replacement service were already under way.

Cleaning budget increased

The PSOE also criticised the results of the additional resources allocated to the service.

The party says the annual budget for the cleaning service has increased by 39%, from approximately €5.6 million to €7.8 million, while arguing that residents have not seen a sufficient improvement in the city's cleanliness.

The increase itself has also been cited by the municipal government. In January, Mayor Rafa Triguero said the existing contract had received a 39% increase in annual funding, while acknowledging that there was still room for improvement in the service.

The PSOE's assessment that the additional spending has not produced a sufficient improvement is a political judgement rather than an independently established measurement.

Previous concerns over service quality

The municipality has continued to monitor Valoriza's performance during 2026.

In September, the company was penalised through a reduction of almost €145,000 in the variable portion of its payment linked to service quality, according to reporting on the municipal decision.

The municipality has also held meetings with Valoriza during the year to discuss the performance of the service and measures to reinforce cleaning operations.

New model being prepared

The future contract is expected to introduce changes to the way waste collection and cleaning are organised.

The preparatory work includes assessing different collection systems according to the characteristics of individual neighbourhoods, as well as examining new technology, machinery and staffing requirements.

The municipality has also been considering a system in which waste charges could be linked to waste generation and recycling behaviour, although the final model will depend on the studies and subsequent contracting process.

Possible timetable for the new contract

The PSOE argues that the delay could push the start of the new contract further into the future.

The party says the PP's electoral programme had envisaged the new contract becoming operational around the middle of 2028 and argues that the current situation could move this towards the beginning of 2029.

That timetable is the PSOE's projection based on the current process and should not be treated as a confirmed municipal start date.

PSOE also raises Mercat Nou

During the same plenary session, the Socialist group presented a separate motion concerning the future Mercat Nou.

The PSOE called for the market to remain at its existing location rather than being moved to the area of the former sports courts at Parc de la Pau.

The opposition group raised concerns about the proposed underground car park, the loss of sports facilities, possible archaeological remains, increased traffic and the scale of the planned development. It also argued that the proposed building could resemble a shopping centre more than a traditional market.

These points represent the PSOE's position on the separate Mercat Nou proposal.

A contract still in transition

The extension of the Valoriza agreement means Ibiza's current waste collection and cleaning system will continue while the municipality develops the replacement contract.

The government has already begun the technical and economic preparation required for the new service, while the PSOE is questioning whether that process could have started earlier.

For now, the confirmed development is the continuation of the existing contract alongside the ongoing preparation of the future tender. The exact start date and final structure of the new service will depend on the remaining procurement process.