Maltese MEP and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant expressed his satisfaction at Government’s commitment to implement initiatives aimed at boosting Malta’s performance in the waste management sector. Dr Sant said that this sector presents two challenges which had been ignored by previous administrations. The first challenge concerns the creation of a short term landfill space to accomodate present and future waste till the plants required to process it satisfactorily come on stream. The second challenge is the organisation of household and commercial waste in a serious manner.
Wasteserv invited the Maltese MEP to visit the Magħtab Environmental Complex which encompasses the rehabilitated Magħtab landfill, the Żwejra and Għallis operating landfills and the Malta North facility. Chairman David Borg and CEO Tonio Montebello led Dr Sant to the operating Għallis Engineered landfill which is filling up at a fast pace given the high current levels of waste generated. Malta is one of the few EU countries which is still highly dependent on landfilling as a waste disposal option.
Dr Sant said the “new” factory that processes the arriving waste after separating it into different streams is doing extremely valuable work. Given another similar facility operating in parallel with it, the potential would exist to process all the waste of the island as a whole in one place, with least adverse impact on the environment, remarked the Maltese MEP.
During the visit it was acknowledged that it is crucial for the country to invest in a waste to energy facility as part of its plans for a more holistic waste management infrastructure given Malta’s particular characteristics. The nation’s insularity brings about logistical complications and exorbitant costs to export waste. Moreover due to the country’s size land is a precious limited resource with a high opportunity cost that would go to waste if more space had to be dedicated to landfill which would also result in extending closer to residential areas. Wasteserv agreed that the nationalisation of the organic bag collection later on this year accompanied by more enforcement will serve to encourage better and more sustainable waste management practices in line with EU obligations.
Wasteserv’s Chairman gave an overview of the milestones achieved by the company over the past four years to address this situation, which included substantial investment in infrastructure, various educational drives and the implementation of the organic bag pilot project across 23 localities. The Malta North Facility, Wasteserv’s latest addition to its infrastructure, enables the company to intensify its drive to divert waste from being landfilled,particularly biodegradable waste in line with the EU directives.
CEO Montebello remarked that this process enhances the recovery of dry recyclable materials contributing to Malta’s ongoing efforts towards achieving the EU recycling targets.
WASTESERV falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for the Environmental, Sustainable Development and Climate Change.
Maltese Version – ALFRED SANT JELENKA L-ISFIDI TA’ MALTA FL-IMMANIĠJAR TAL-ISKART
Alfred Sant faħħar l-impenn tal-Gvern għall-inizjattivi li jagħtu spinta lil Malta fil-qasam tal-immaniġjar tal-iskart u qal li dan is-settur jippreżenta żewġ sfidi kbar li ġew injorati mill-amministrazzjonijiet preċedenti. L-ewwel sfida hija l-ħolqien ta’ landfill għal perijodu ta’ żmien qasir li takkomoda l-iskart preżenti u tal-futur sakemm l-impjant meħtieġ għall-ipproċessar tal-iskart jibda jaħdem sew. It-tieni sfida hija l-organizzazzjoni serja tal-iskart domestiku u kummerċjali.
Wasteserv stiednet lill-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew biex iżur il-Kumpless Ambjentali fil-Magħtab li jħaddan fih l-landfill rijabilitata tal-Magħtab, il-landfills attivi ta’ Żwejra u tal-Għallis u l-Malta North Facility. Iċ-Chairman David Borg u s-CEO Tonio Montebello mxew ma’ Alfred Sant sal-Engineered landfill tal-Għallis li qed timtela b’rata mgħaġġla ħafna minħabba l-ammont sostanzjali ta’ skart li qed jinħoloq. Malta hija waħda mill-ftit pajjiżi Ewropej li tiddependi ħafna mill-metodu ta’ landfilling biex tiddisponi mill-iskart tagħha.
Dr Sant qal li l-fabbrika ‘l-ġdida’ li tipproċessa l-iskart il-ġdid wara li tisseparah f’żewġ gruppi differenti, qed tagħmel xogħol siewi ħafna. Jekk ikun hemm faċilita` oħra li topera magħha, tinħoloq l-opportunita` biex l-iskart kollu jiġi pproċessat fuq gżiritna f’post wieħed, bl-inqas impatt negattiv fuq l-ambjent, qal Dr Sant.
Waqt iż-żjara kien hemm qbil li huwa kruċjali għal Malta li tinvesti f’faċilita` li tuża l-iskart għall-enerġija bħala parti minn pjan ħolistiku infrastrutturali minħabba l-karatteristiċi partikolari ta’ pajjiżna. L-insularita` tfisser kumplikazzjonijiet ta’ loġistika u spejjeż fenomenali għall-esportazzjoni tal-iskart. Barra minnhekk, minħabba d-daqs ta’ pajjiżna, l-art hija prezzjuża u limitata u tkun moħlija jekk ikollu jingħata aktar spazju dedikat għal-landfill. Dan ifisser ukoll li din tiġi aktar qrib żoni residenzjali. Wasteserv taqbel li n-nazzjonalizzar tal-ġbir tal-basket organiku aktar tard din is-sena flimkien ma’ iktar infurzar se jservu biex jidħlu prattiċi aktar sostenibbli fl-immaniġjar tal-iskart.
Ic-Chariman tal-Wasteserv ta ħarsa ġenerali tal-aktar stadji importanti tal-kumpanija f’dawn l-aħħar erba’ snin biex ikunu indirizzati d-diffikultajiet, li jinkludu investiment sostanzjali fl-infrastruttura, kampanji edukattivi varji u l-implimentazzjoni tal-proġett pilota tal-basket organiku fi 23 lokalitajiet. Il-Malta North Facility, l-aħħar infrastruttura ġdida tal-Wasteserv, tgħin lil kumpanija biex tevita li l-iskart jintefa f’landfill, b’mod partikolari dak bijodegradabbli – skont id-direttivi tal-Unjoni Ewropea.
CEO Tonio Montebello qal li dan il-proċess iżid l-irkupru ta’ materjal niexef riċiklabbli li jikkontribwixxi għall-isforzi kontinwi ta’ Malta biex tilħaq il-miri tar-riċiklaġġ tagħha.
WASTESERV taqa’ taħt ir-responsabbilta` tal-Ministeru għall-Ambjent, l-Iżvilupp Sostenibbli u t-Tibdil tal-Klima.
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