More than 5,000 television sets and monitors have been collected by WasteServ Malta at the Civic Amenity Sites in just under eight months. This waste would have previously gone to the landfills but is now being collected for shipment abroad. Another 16,440 sets collected between 2004 and April 2007 are currently in storage.

WasteServ said it has applied for the necessary permits to ship such hazardous waste to Germany. It explained that many types of electronic products such as TVs and monitors contain hazardous substances like lead and mercury.

“Before the advent of CA Sites, bulky refuse vehicles and skip companies transported TVs and monitors directly to the Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plant or to the Maghtab Complex,” said Vince Magri, Chief Executive Officer at WasteServ Malta Ltd. “Now such hazardous waste is being collected for safe disposal and eventual export for treatment abroad.”

Unlike Bring-In Sites that only cater for paper, plastic, metal and glass, the CA sites are equipped to take separated refuse such as mattresses, white goods, furniture, tyres, electronic products, waste from DIY activities and garden waste. This separated waste is then sent for recycling locally or abroad, depending on the waste stream.