PUIGPUNYENT
MEMBERS of the environmental watchdog GOB travelled to Puigpunyent yesterday, to highlight its selective rubbish system as a model to be followed. Spokesmen Miquel Angel March and Aina Llauger criticised the Council of Majorca for not promoting recycling in outlying towns and villages, as it is required to do under its master plan for rubbish. Seventy per cent of the rubbish in Puigpunyent, including organic waste, is separated for collection, compared to an average of 15 per cent islandwide. Even the Council's plan only expected 38 per cent of rubbish to be separated. March said that if selective collection were to be extended throughout the island, it would be possible to close the tip at Son Reus in Palma and one of the furnaces at the incinerator.

More tsunami funds

MARRATXI
THE town council will donate more than 7'000 euros to the victims of the tsunami catastrophe in South East Asia. The money will be given to the Majorcan Solidarity Fund. The money has been raised by organising various events, such as a barbecue held last Sunday, attended by 1'000 people, at which 4'600 euros was raised. There was entertainment including bouncy castles and Majorcan dancing. The Costa i Llobera school also donated the 700 euro prize it won in the carnival parade this year.

Aquaduct restored

SANTA MARIA
THE Council of Majorca, the town council and the Fundació La Caixa will collaborate to restore and preserve the Siquia de Coanegra, an aquaduct which runs for more than seven kilometres and dates from Islamic times. The aquaduct, which distributes water in the Coanegra valley, belongs to the people who use the water for irrigation. The heritage board will be in charge of drawing up a plan to clean and restore the aquaduct, although it has not said how much it will cost.

Young offenders

CALVIA
THE Balearic ministry of the presidency and the Calvia town council will offer an alternative to remand homes for juvenile delinquents, who will be allowed to remain “within their own social nucleus” thanks to a network of services and resources which the town council will put at their disposal. The agreement was signed yesterday by minister Rosa Puig and Mayor Carlos Delgado. At the moment, 16 minors from Calvia are serving sentences in remand homes in other parts of the island. Eleven council departments are prepared to help support the scheme. They include social services, culture, sports, education, youth and the environment.

School improvements

SANTANYI
THE Balearic government will take advantage of the fire which destroyed the library and computer room of Santanyi school to carry out improvements and enlarge the premises. Work will start before summer. Plans had already been drawn up and they will now be carried out sooner than expected. Extra classrooms and facilities will be added by building a new wing which will have three storeys. The budget will be in the region of two million euros, which will be provided by the education ministry. A cleaning company started cleaning up the school on Tuesday so that classes can resume as normal on April 4, although it will not be possible to use the library and computer room, which will be sealed off.