Islanders increasingly using waste treatment plant

Foto Deixalleria seccio podaThe Formentera Council's Office of Environment has released figures for the island's waste treatment plant showing that, although the Deixalleria logged 10,420 visits last year, the 5,956 rubbish drop-offs registered during the first half of 2017 represent an increase of 508. This year, operators at the plant have reported an average of 39 daily visits, up from 35.5 a day in 2017.

For environment secretary Daisee Aguilera, the figures are a clear indication that the Deixalleria, a facility built in May 2015, “is now a fixture on the island”. The plant accepts garden trimmings, building waste and scrap metal.

Furniture and appliance pickup
According to Aguilera, home pickup of large appliances and furniture is another service whose role on the island has become consolidated. Operators called on 414 homes in the first six months of the year, 76 more than the same period in 2016, when the service reported 338 house calls. A spike in use of the service is pointed up by figures from the two years prior: in 2015 and 2014, pickups totalled 113 and 63, respectively. The telephone number to request the free service is 900.102.656.

The secretary took the opportunity to once again urge Formentera residents to do their part in improving local waste treatment, “for a cleaner island that's both environmentally and economically more sustainable”.

The Deixalleria, located at Formentera's industrial park on the Sant Francesc-La Mola highway, opened in May 2015. All special waste—anything not disposable at street-side bins—should be taken there, Monday to Saturday, 9.00am to 1.30pm, and Monday to Friday, 3.30pm to 5.30pm.