The government is set to unveil a long-term plan for waste management “in the coming weeks”, yet details on this remain in short supply.
The move comes in the wake of a Times of Malta report which revealed how mixed waste disposed by households in black rubbish bags is being dumped untreated in the Magħtab landfill.
The situation at the landfill has long been under the spotlight and made headlines last month when the government’s waste management agency Wasteserv admitted that half of the domestic waste collected was being dumped because there is not enough capacity to treat it.
In light of the coronavirus outbreak, Wasteserv has now resorted to dumping all the black bags in the landfill, a measure it said it took amid concern for workers handling the mixed waste during the pandemic.
An Environment Ministry spokesperson confirmed the government shared Wasteserv’s belief that the well-being of workers and their families is “a top priority”.
“During these difficult times, while the majority of people are in the safety of their homes, hardworking teams are still operating the country’s waste management facilities. So far, no services offered by Wasteserv have been interrupted,” the spokesperson said.
Malta’s waste management has often been regarded as an issue of concern, with official statistics suggesting that despite efforts to address the shortcomings, not much improvement has been registered. EU data has often shown that Malta continues to lag behind when its waste management figures are compared to those in other EU countries.
Acknowledging the situation is “not the easiest one”, especially amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government spokesperson said “a long-term plan for waste and solutions has already been identified.
“Important announcements in this regard will be made in the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the opposition has repeatedly claimed the government’s recycling initiatives have failed.
In the wake of the decision to dump all the black bags in the landfill, the Nationalist Party has now asked for someone in government to shoulder responsibility for what it said was “irresponsible behaviour that is polluting our environment”.