Fly-tipping and littering in Mallorca

Recently we went on a walk with some friends up to Na Burguesa, the statue up the back of Genova. Here’s what we found in a stretch of 100m: empty cans (beer, coke, monster). Fast food packaging. Whole bags full of household trash. Rubber gloves. Masks. Condom wrappers. Old socks. Large bags of builders waste including rubble, empty cement bags, plastic bags, and general site waste. A pair of tracksuit bottoms. Dog poop in plastic poop bags… and other unprintable things.

You’ll hear complaining about the impact of excess tourism on our local environment but what about the impact of all this rubbish? Pretty sure tourists aren’t renting cars to drive up there to dump builders’ waste... Why are locals driving to beauty spots on the island and leaving rubbish behind?
Well, one of the primary problems is the lack of bins. At Na Burguesa they could reduce littering by installing more but perhaps the local council think it’s easier/cheaper to pick litter than empty bins regularly? Maybe the green parks around the island need to allow builders to dump their waste at a lower cost to stop dumping? Let’s be honest, driving all the way up there to unload rubble isn’t quick or easy.

Lack of facilities is one thing but let’s be honest, it’s ignorance. Clearly many people either don’t understand, or don’t care about the long-term consequences of their actions. Social and cultural attitudes also play a significant role, there is a prevailing mindset that rubbish is the council’s job.
Councils: please put more bins out, police fly-tipping areas (how about a camera and a warning sign about fines?), and put out more campaigns before our beautiful island is trashed.