According to the website Gobierto, which analyses local authority performance, Palma spends 31.18 euros per inhabitant on street cleaning and waste services. This is the lowest amount among the ten most populated cities in Spain for which data are available (Malaga and Seville have not provided any).
The national average spend in 33.84 euros, while the average for municipalities in the Balearics is 36.38 euros.
The Emaya municipal services agency fully accepts that these figures are accurate. It supplied them. However, the agency points out that they do not take account of investment that has been made. Imma Mayol, Emaya's manager, highlights the fact that 21 million euros have been invested over the past three years in renewing vehicles, cleaning machinery and rubbish containers. "If the whole Emaya budget is taken into account, we are spending over sixty euros per inhabitant."
Mayol accepts that there is margin for service improvement despite efforts made since 2015, which have "created a reasonable standard". A new plan is producing "very good results in all neighbourhoods," she adds. Containers are emptied daily and the frequency of recycling collections has been increased.