Throwing It All Away

Rummaging through the waste bins, recycling reality has finally struck in Alcúdia. Fines, in other words. Fines, and more fines. Several years after the Germans invented the art of examining the contents of bins in the wee small hours in search of recycling miscreants, a similar local zealotry has surfaced. Given that these things tend to be rather half-hearted by comparison to ultra-efficient Germanic control, it is doubtful that quite the same pernicketyness would be applied here, but the rubbish polizei is on the watch nevertheless. 600 euros it will cost bars, shops etc. if they do not recycle correctly, and this goes - apparently - for cardboard boxes that are not put into the paper containers, which would be a positive step were it not for the fact that there probably simply aren't enough containers. As far as I am aware, this fine fining scheme has not been extended to households - yet. It might not be such a bad thing if it were to be. If there is seriousness as to recycling, then it needs to be done seriously. The casualness with which bottles or plastics can find their way into the general rubbish container or bags of different types of material get shoved into the plastics one undermines the whole scheme. But given the communal nature of rubbish, it would require some evidence to ever prove who put what where. On Alcúdia's Mile, apparently, plod saw a bar putting things incorrectly into a container, passed on the info to the town hall's watchdogs who then came and issued a warning to the bar concerned. In the words of the watchdogs, "we don't want to have to fine you", which is very noble of them, and they are apparently going to provide individual recycling containers, thus making it easier for the bars but also making it easier to prove - or so the theory would go were it not for the fact that someone from another bar, or just a passing drunk, might come along in the wee small hours and put something that shouldn't go into the container of another bar.

It is perhaps also worth issuing a reminder that street selling, both buying and selling, is verboten and subject to fines. Bars that allow the likes of the luckies to ply their trade can cop a two-grand fine. And to actually buy something - be it a CD, sunglasses, jewellery - can also lead to the collar being felt and a fine (to 500 euros) being imposed. Them's the rules. Don't necessarily expect the tour reps to issue warnings to unsuspecting tourists, as they probably won't know themselves. So let me do it for them.


Talking Italian
That was what they were doing. If you didn't know, the fine L'Italiano down the Siesta end of the Mile is now also in the port. They've taken over Bogavante. Serie A is seeking a breakaway, and the local Italians are doing their own breakaway - into the frontline of Alcúdia where, further along the road, is Piero Rossi's original place. At the new Italiano was an old friend who had dropped by. Mauricio, one-time of La Trattoria in the port and Momo's in Alcanada. He is moving back to Como next month. One of the nicest of people, barely recognised him as he had cut off the long hair. He will be teaching at cooks' school back in Italy.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Brilliant. The Decemberists: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK3Ce9md96g). Today's title - oh God, I keep saying I won't do them again, but ...

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