MEPA making clean sweep of Gozo scrap yards

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority yesterday started removing cars and other material from scrap yards in Gozo, none of which are licensed.

The authority said the operation was expected to be carried out over the next two weeks.

The cars are being taken to the government garage in Xewkija, where they will first be cleaned of oil and have their batteries, tyres and seats removed before being brought to Malta to be compacted and exported.

Since there were no licensed scrap yards in Gozo, all of them would be removed, the authority said.

Discussions are taking place between the Ministry for Gozo, MEPA and other departments involved in the local plan for Gozo to find a suitable location to store scrap, MEPA said.

Pending alternative arrangements, MEPA is appealing to anyone having cars or other material for scrap to contact it.

The authority estimates that there are some 150 cars and trucks in the scrap yards, apart from a large amount of other scrap material which needs to be cleared.

The first scrap yard to be targeted was in il-Kanal Street, Xewkija, from where a considerable number of cars and other material are being removed.

The other scrap yards are in San Lawrenz Road, San Lawrenz; ix-Xaghra, Masri and Marsalforn roads in Xaghra; il-Madonna tal-Hniena and Ta' Bakkari streets in Xewkija; ta' Cordina Street in Ghajnsielem; and Santa Domenica Street, Munxar.