Formentera has taken another step towards establishing a dedicated system for managing construction and demolition waste, with the island's Consell approving the definitive creation of a public service covering the collection, reception, classification, recovery and management of these materials.

The agreement, approved unanimously by the Pleno on September 24, allows the Consell to move towards tendering a temporary treatment plant at the Waste Management Area in es Cap de Barbaria.

The proposed facility will have a reference annual capacity of 15,000 tonnes.

The plant is still to be tendered

The latest approval does not mean the treatment plant is already operating or under construction.

Instead, it establishes the public service framework required before the Consell can proceed with the tender for the temporary facility.

The documentation provides for the plant to operate on a provisional basis, with management to be outsourced through a service concession.

The Consell will now also begin preparing and approving the regulations that will govern the new island-wide public service.

A solution for construction and demolition waste

The new service will cover construction and demolition waste, known as RCD in Spanish, including its collection, reception, classification, recovery and management.

The aim is to establish a regulated system for dealing with this waste on Formentera rather than leaving the island without a dedicated treatment solution.

The 15,000-tonne figure refers to the reference annual capacity of the proposed temporary facility. It should not be interpreted as a forecast that 15,000 tonnes of waste will necessarily be generated or processed each year.

The site at es Cap de Barbaria

The temporary plant is planned for the existing Waste Management Area at es Cap de Barbaria.

The location has previously been associated with Formentera's long-running construction-waste problem. In July, the Consell's initial proposal was described as a temporary solution while the island works towards the longer-term waste infrastructure provided for in its waste planning.

The September approval now provides the administrative framework needed to advance the temporary facility.

From initial approval to definitive service

The process began with an initial agreement approved by the Consell's Pleno on July 2, 2026.

That decision was followed by a period of public information. The definitive constitution of the public service was subsequently approved unanimously during the September 24 plenary session.

This distinction is important because the latest decision represents a further administrative step rather than the completion of the project.

Management through a concession

The approved documentation provides for the future service to be managed indirectly through a concession.

This means the Consell is establishing the public service while the operation of the temporary treatment facility is intended to be entrusted through a concession process.

The next stage will therefore involve progressing the tender and establishing the detailed operating framework for the service.

A problem that has lasted for years

Construction waste has been a long-running issue on Formentera.

Previous arrangements resulted in the accumulation of construction waste at es Cap de Barbaria, with the situation eventually leading to intervention by the Balearic Government, including a fine and closure of the previous facility, according to reporting on the July decision.

The Consell has argued that a regulated public service is needed to provide a legally compliant system for construction companies and the administration.

Not yet a permanent solution

The proposed facility is explicitly described as temporary.

The longer-term waste-management planning for the island envisages permanent infrastructure, meaning the temporary plant is intended to provide an interim treatment and management solution rather than represent the final waste facility for Formentera.

This is another reason not to describe the latest approval as the completion of a new permanent waste plant.

What happens next

Following the definitive creation of the public service, the Consell can advance towards the tender for the temporary treatment plant.

It will also prepare the regulations governing how the new service will operate.

Once the tendering process is completed and the necessary subsequent steps are carried out, the temporary facility can move towards implementation at es Cap de Barbaria.

For now, the confirmed development is the creation of the public service and the administrative green light to advance towards tendering, with a proposed temporary facility capable of handling a reference 15,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste per year.