In an effort to reduce the heavy impact of tourism on the Spanish island’s plastics waste, Mallorca has announced a ban on a variety of single-use plastic (SUP) items from 20 March 2021. The move is part of the “Save the Balearic” initiative by Spanish environmental organisations IbizaPreservation (www.ibizapreservation.org) and Save the Med (www.savethemed.org).

Though the ban was initially planned for 1 January 2021, some parts of it were postponed when Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez declared a second national state of emergency in October 2020 – single packets (plastic or paper) of sugar and a few other products at establishments will for now not be included in the prohibition. Other than that, the following SUP goods are banned from 20 March: disposable plates, cutlery, glasses, cups and straws used in hospitality and catering industries; exceptions are cellulose napkins and tablecloths. Single-use products such as straws and plates made of compostable materials, however, are permitted in trade, distribution, and take-away services. The new ban also applies to printer cartridges and toners, which must now be either reusable or refillable.

Tourist are most likely to be affected by the prohibition on non-compostable cotton buds, non-compostable or hard-to-recycle coffee and other such capsules, and all varieties of disposable razors. In addition, it will no longer be permissible for wet wipes to be flushed down the toilet.

The Spanish government plans to carry out inspections from time to time to check on the implementation. However, retailers and distributors which are not yet able to follow the new regulations will not yet be subject to fines.