Updated 10.25am with PN's statement
All of the mixed waste disposed by households in black rubbish bags is being dumped untreated in the landfill as the coronavirus pandemic raises Malta’s waste management crisis to a new level.
The situation at Magħtab landfill was already challenging last month when waste management agency Wasteserv admitted 50 per cent of this type of domestic waste was being dumped because there is not enough capacity to treat it. But in recent weeks, Wasteserv says it has been forced to “fine-tune” its processes amid concern for workers handling the mixed waste after the outbreak of coronavirus.
“The decision not to mechanically treat the black bag was made as a health and safety measure to continue safeguarding the well-being of our employees,” the state agency’s spokesperson said.
“All municipal waste received at our facility is treated as per EU guidelines, which recommend that the black bag (mixed waste) is either incinerated (not yet available in Malta) or landfilled,” the state agency’s spokesperson said.
This means that the process to extract certain waste, such as metal or plastic, from the black bags is currently halted and all the black bags are being dumped at the Magħtab landfill without going through the mechanical separation plant.
The spokesperson said that the waste management agency is taking all its decisions based on “in-house expertise” and “international reference points” as well as in consultation with the health authorities.
She did not say what health concerns had prompted the change in procedure.
Figures supplied by the agency showed that in 2018, the year when obligatory sorting of household waste was introduced, some 140,470 tonnes of black bags (mixed waste) were generated by households.
Wasteserv, together with the health authorities, have urged the public to place any waste that could be infected in a double bag and keep it indoors for three days before taking it out for collection.
According to the Wasteserv spokesperson, the health authorities have been communicating directly with COVID-19 patients as well as those under mandatory quarantine in order to make sure that they follow the guidelines on waste disposal.
Opposition reacts
The PN said in a statement that the number of black bags was increasing and was rather high when compared to the European average. The 'Sort it Out' initiative had failed, it added.
The party asked whether the green/grey bags were also being dumped in the landfill and urged WasteServ to list the risks tied to the mechanical processing of waste.
Who is going to shoulder responsibility for this irresponsible behaviour that is polluting our environment, PN asked.