The future of the Marsascala plant

The Front Against the Recycling Plant at Marsascala refers to the statement made by WasteServ entitled WasteServ Defends Sant'Antnin Project (February 22).

In its statement, WasteServ, the company that runs the Sant'Antnin recycling plant in Marsascala, states that the facility will be upgraded and not demolished as claimed by the Front Against the Recycling Plant.

Paul Cutajar, Lorry Deraffaele and Joe Sant on behalf of the Front in an interview in one of the local papers argued, among other considerations, that the existing plant has major structural defects and the only plausible way of correcting these faults was to demolish the plant and rebuild it afresh. WasteServ must know that the Front is fully aware of the plant's structural situation, even if WasteServ is doing its utmost to keep the public in the dark as to the major structural defects of the existing plant.

The Front challenges WasteServ to publish the relevant part of the foreign experts who, at the government's request in 1995/96, had inspected the plant to assess the plant's structural situation. WasteServ conveniently ignored this argument completely.

The Front feels confused about the company's statement stating that the Sant'Antnin plant is to be upgraded and not demolished. This statement on the part of WasteServ is absolutely not in conformity with the company's application as submitted to Mepa.

May we remind WasteServ that their original application, No. 2,838/03 dated May 27, 2003 requesting the upgrading of the Sant'Antnin waste treatment plant, off Triq Wied iz-Ziju, Marsascala, had been amended after an objection made by the Zejtun local council.

WasteServ must have forgotten that its amendment to the original application states: "Amendment to the description of proposed development... Demolition of existing plant and its replacement with range of new structures to accommodate: a material recovery facility; a mechanical treatment plant; a digestion plant; and a composting plant".

Furthermore, the environment planning statement as drawn up by architect Joseph A. Pace shows clearly that the new four-storey building - 12 metres in height - is being built precisely to accommodate the four plants as specified in the amended application by WasteServ as submitted to Mepa.

It is high time that WasteServ decides its intention as to the future of the plant and stop twisting facts.

With regard to the increase in the traffic flow entering Zejtun, Zabbar and Marsascala by-pass, WasteServ states that this will be minimal and without any added inconvenience. At the same time, WasteServ is arguing that the total amount of waste to be processed at Sant'Antnin is to be increased from the present 40,000 to 71,000 tonnes per annum - an increase of 31,000 tonnes - almost double the amount presently treated at the plant. In a very simple mathematical exercise, this means that the amount of scammels needed to carry 71,000 tonnes of waste will double that needed today.

Once again, WasteServ failed to guarantee without any reservations that the new plant would completely eliminate the nuisances caused. It only said that the new plant would further reduce the nuisances.

The Front is convinced that by beating about the bush, WasteServ is leading to nowhere. Its attitude serves only to increase the residents' mistrust towards the company.