Tonnes of domestic waste equivalent to half of all black bags collected from households are being dumped at the Magħtab landfill instead of being treated because there is no capacity to treat them all. 

In 2018, 70 per cent of black bags were being treated, according to waste management agency Wasteserv. 

However, it denied the suggestion that efforts by households to separate domestic waste were now going down the drain. It said all of the white bags containing organic refuse and grey bags for recyclable materials were being treated. 

A Wasteserv spokesman gave this assurance when Times of Malta asked about its waste management practices in the wake of concerns fuelled by footage broadcast on Net Television that showed truckloads of waste being landfilled at Magħtab. 

This was probably a result of the fact that all commercial waste from skips is still being landfilled. According to Wasteserv, the gas being extracted from organic waste is generating enough electricity to power about 700 houses. 

As for the grey bags, the recyclable material is being exported. The agency says the situation regarding black bags will start improving by June, when the Sant’Antnin plant will reopen following a project to upgrade the equipment to treat organic waste. 

This will result in a smaller amount of black bags being landfilled at Magħtab and all white bags being diverted to Sant’Antnin. However, it won’t be until 2026 when all the waste facilities meant to reduce landfilling, such as the incinerator, will be in place.