A waste separation drive is yielding results, the Environment Ministry has claimed, saying increases have been registered across all waste streams.
Collection of organic waste is up 25 per cent and the collection of separated waste within the industrial sector has seen “exponential” growth, the ministry said. Previously, that waste all went to landfill.
“Over the past two years, WasteServ achieved record outputs in terms of the amount of recyclables returned to the economy. This includes a significant increase in plastic recycling performance, more than tripling Malta’s previous performance,” Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said.
The waste management progress was highlighted by the ministry following a visit to Malta by EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius, who was given a tour of Malta’s waste management infrastructure by Dalli and WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca.
Sinkevičius was show the Magħtab landfill and given a rundown of work to replace it with the ECOHIVE facility that will combine an incinerator with a recycling facility, organic waste processing plant, and thermal treatment plant for hazardous waste.
Work to excavate the site is currently underway and close to being complete. Five bidders seeking to win a tender to construct and operate the facility were shortlisted last October. The ministry said the process to select a bidder is now in its “final stages”.
Once completed, the incinerator is projected to meet around 4.5% of Malta’s energy needs by burning 190,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste. The facility’s organic waste processing plant will be capable of converting 74,000 tonnes of organic waste into compost and renewable energy per year.
The facility is necessary for Malta to meet its EU-imposed waste management targets. The country lags far behind its EU peers when it comes to waste recycling.
Sinkevičius said he was pleased to see progress.
“It is impressive to see how Malta is breaking from past trends in waste management through massive investment and courageous policy changes to move fast toward the 2035 EU targets. I am fully aware of Malta’s past struggles in this sector and I am convinced that the right strategy, if supported with a major culture shift in waste management by all players, will give the required results,” the EU Commissioner stated. The Commissioner was also given a tour of Wied Fulija, which was converted from a landfill into a public park.