Sant'Antnin plant upgrade

In reply to a statement by Zejtun council, WasteServ would like to confirm that once the €16.7 million upgrade is complete, the Sant'Antnin plant will not have any negative effects on the residents of Zejtun or on the surrounding neighbourhood. One of the main reasons for this proposed investment is to mitigate the concerns of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Contrary to what was said in the statement, WasteServ has consulted Zejtun council on several occasions. The new recommendations in the second draft environment statement were made following consultation with MEPA, NGOs, government departments and the Marsascala and Zejtun councils.

The Sant'Antnin plant will only treat 71,000 tonnes of waste per annum, 36,000 of which are clean and dry recyclables and 35,000 organic waste. Furthermore, all operations will take place in a fully enclosed environment and indoor air will not be allowed to escape the buildings as a result of internal pressure.

All these improvements will be made using exactly the same footprint of the present plant. Contrary to Ghaxaq council's statement, at no time will the plant be enlarged.

Following consultation, the traffic flow has been reduced to a daily minimum. Vehicles will be using route 26 passing through Bulebel Industrial Estate to avoid inhabitated areas.

Other sites in the alternative site assessment report were considered inappropriate not because of their size, but for other reasons. Inadequate access and impacts on habitats were a major factor at some sites. One of the sites had no existing road access and another consisted solely of open countryside.

It is worth noting that due to limited ground area available for development in Malta, the main potential sites are in proximity to residents. This places a higher responsibility on the permitting authority to ensure that mitigation measures are properly designed prior to issuing any clearance for the development.