Balearics facing rubbish mountain

THE Balearics generates more waste than any other region in Spain, according to a report published yesterday. The report, commissioned by the National Statistics Institute in Madrid, reveals that, per person, 767 kilos of rubbish is generated per year in the Balearics with the Spanish national average being 417 kilos of, what has been described as mixed rubbish. The figures correspond to a study carried out in 1998 and is the first of its kind to have been commissioned by the National Statistics Institute. While the Balearics tops the tables, the Canaries, Spain's second most popular holiday destination after the Balearics, generates the second highest level of waste. Apart from the problem of what to do with the waste, a question which the Balearic authorities are continually having to find new answers for as the amount of rubbish increases, the cost of collecting all the rubbish is escalating as well. On average, the cost of collecting one tonne of rubbish is 15'600 pesetas, on top of the costs of operating selective rubbish collections which also have to be taken into account. The report states that per person, 11 kilos of paper and cardboard are thrown out each year, along with nearly 12 kilos of bottles and glass.