A technical committee tasked with assessing Malta's waste management options held its maiden meeting yesterday with the Opposition conspicuous by its absence, the Environment Ministry said today.

Announced two weeks ago by minister Jose' Herrera, the committee has been given until the end of the year to recommend which technology Malta should use when building a new waste management facility. 

READ: An empty dump intended for hazardous waste will tide Malta over

Malta is staring down the barrel of a waste management crisis, with its Magħtab landfill on the verge of filling up and no long-term waste management plan in place. 

The government has invited the Nationalist Party to nominate a representative to the committee. The party initially refused, and it was then asked to reconsider after it elected its new leader.

PN leader Adrian Delia has said he will consult the parliamentary group and look into what representation would actually mean.  

READ: PD wants a representative on waste management committee

Dr Herrera today reiterated his invitation to the PN, saying waste management was one of Malta's biggest challenges and that decisions in this sector had to be taken in unison for the common good.  

The waste to energy plant to be built is expected to handle up to 40 per cent of Malta's waste, with Dr Herrera predicting it would take seven years and €150m to be built. 

He also urged the PN to appoint a representative to the Environment and Resources Authority, with its previous representative Maria Attard still not replaced after three months.