Waste worth Lm2m exported for recycling

Waste worth just under Lm2 million was exported for recycling last year, Resources and Infrastructure Minister Francis Zammit Dimech said yesterday.

It consisted of 732 tons of plastic valued at Lm139,000, 53 tons of paper at Lm3,000, 862 tons of industrial waste at Lm255,000 and 19,000 tons of metal with a value of Lm1.4 million.

He said that through proper waste management, one could not only improve the environment but make money.

Dr Zammit Dimech made his comments when he visited a Gharghur quarry which is being used for the dumping of waste.

He said that unused quarries were being rehabilitated after being refilled with waste from the construction industry which would otherwise end up at the Maghtab dump.

Some 5,000 tons of construction waste have been dumped in the quarry so far.

The minister said the waste, which was crushed before being dumped, was free from any dangerous or toxic waste.

He said that last year 11 quarries were licensed for use as dumping sites for construction waste and some 400,000 tons of this waste were dumped there .

Dr Zammit Dimech said material removed from Tigné as part of the Manoel Island/Tigné Point project had been put on barges and deposited in the sea.