Investing in sustainable waste management

I refer to The Sunday Times editorial, "Is the polluter paying?" (July 18).

In introducing an eco-contribution, Government's main intention was to concretely start implementing measures aimed at changing the trends and mentality that our society has embraced for years. After so many years of hearing endless statements about what needs to be done to make our society responsible for the environment, a measure is being proposed to make sure that our nation, after so many others before it, also moves in that direction.

In drawing up the mechanisms governing the eco-contribution, Government wanted to highlight its commitment in investing in a sustainable and effective waste management strategy for our country.

It might have been easier for Government to opt for an across-the-board equal tax on each household, as implemented by the short-lived Labour administration on water, drainage and electricity. That would have covered the bill currently being forked out by Government to manage waste.

One of the officials representing an organisation which was consulted in the drawing up of the eco-contribution actually came up with this suggestion but we informed him that the option had long been discarded by this Government.

The eco-contribution will be ensuring that Government has the necessary financing to, at least, support partially the initiatives and projects that need to be taken. It will be charged on a specific number of products according to the composition of the waste streams that finally end up at our waste facilities.

Government is neither looking at eco-contribution as the magic wand that will solve our waste problems upon its implementation. It is merely another building block on the road to put waste management on solid foundations for our, and for future generations' benefit.

This process has started. One just has to keep in mind that Government has been working in earnest and results are already being delivered. These past months have been eventful:

¤ the closing of the old Maghtab and Qortin dump sites on April 30;

¤ the start of the rehabilitation process for Maghtab, Qortin and Wied Fulija;

¤ the setting up of Ta' Zwejra waste storage facility;

¤ the preparation for the setting up of the Gozo waste transfer station; and

¤ the decision about the site for the permanent landfill at Ghallis following the outcome of analysis about the rock quality.

Major progress is also being reported in the quarries' rehabilitation programme that is ongoing, following Government's decision exactly a year ago to use inert waste for this purpose. Material generated from the construction industry made up around 80 per cent of all the waste that used to be dumped at Maghtab, thus making a decision on waste management dependent on a decision on this waste.

Government decided to make use of this waste by rehabilitating quarries, thus providing a remedy to our countryside while relieving the burden on our waste facilities. Results are truly encouraging and so far seven quarries have been totally rehabilitated and are being used for agricultural purposes, while works are still in progress on a number of others.

A lot of work is still in the pipeline. This year's expenditure by WasteServ is estimated at around Lm4 million. A number of other projects are at hand to strengthen and develop new infra-structure. The cost is estimated at around €32 million, out of which the European Union will be forking out around €24 million. If we were not EU members the cost to implement a waste management strategy in our country would have been exorbitant.

Certain criticism levelled at the proposed eco-contribution also merits clarification. Much has been said that the proposed rates do not discriminate positively in favour of environment-friendly material. Actually, whereas a glass bottle's average lifespan is a usage of ten times, the plastic bottle is used only once. Thus the charge on the glass bottle has to be calculated on the various times it is reused and put again on the market.

Another argument is that eco-friendly equipment is being charged at the same rate as other equipment on the market. Let's take the example of an eco-friendly and a normal refrigerator. Keeping in mind that the revenue generated from eco-contribution will be invested in waste management, the cost for treating both appliances at the end of their lifespan would be the same to Government.

The editorial suggests various other instances where action can be taken against abusers or polluters - oil spills, industries which do not respect their environmental obligations, emissions from vehicles on our roads, the mess left by pets in public spaces and noise pollution. I agree that even these abuses should be controlled and our laws have to be revised or enforced as necessary.

It is this government's intention to look into these cases too and revenue can be used for other environmental initiatives such as afforestation, air and water quality improvement and noise pollution abatement. The eco-contribution as projected will serve to partially finance only one aspect of our environment - waste management - and more needs to be done in other sectors.

Another point is the issue of an educational campaign. It is unfair to give the impression that nothing is being done on this front. We have launched the Eko-Skola (eco-schools) programme on a national basis after successfully introducing a pilot project for a year in six schools. We have revamped the image of the popular character Xummiemu to help us promote environmental issues, such as waste management. The newly set up Xummiemu Kids' Club already has around 1,000 members.

Another initiative targeting the younger audience is the Skart Raiders television series that also aims to instil environmental responsibility among our children. Lately we have also set up the Centre for Environmental Education and Research (CEER), through which my ministry has completed a chain of initiatives aimed at promoting environmental education and research, both for the local audience as well as to serve a regional purpose.

In the next few days, Government will also be discussing a waste separation education campaign that will complement the various efforts that have been undertaken. It is heartening to note that the various bring-in sites have now become part of our everyday life. The number of bring-in sites is set to go up to 300 from the present 50 sites that we have to date. We intend to keep on building on our achievements, slowly but surely.

The eco-contribution is not the solution - neither financially nor environmentally. But it is a courageous step forward by an administration intent on meeting its goals. A lot needs to be done but we are mapping out the way forward. An effective waste management strategy needs financing to ensure that plans are turned into actions. Government is acting and everyone's support is needed to ensure that goals are reached.