Waste separation to be extended to bulky domestic refuse

Five civic amenities - sites for the disposal of bulky domestic waste - are expected to be up and running by the end of 2006 as part of WasteServ's strategy to expand its waste separation policy.

These sites, which will each take up a swathe of land of about 5,000 square metres, should hopefully spell an end to the illegal dumping of furniture and white goods in the countryside.

Christopher Ciantar, WasteServ's head of strategy and development, said in an interview that these civic amenities would soak up €2.7 million of the €4.6 million allocated for waste separation from the EU's structural funds.

Applications are in the process of being submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for four sites in Malta and one in Gozo.

Dr Ciantar said WasteServ had approached various local councils to see whether they wanted one of these sites within their locality but none did: "Anything associated with waste is never desirable".

WasteServ was now targeting industrial areas in potential localities such as Mriehel, Maghtab, Hal Far, Kalkara and Bulebel.

Dr Ciantar said each civic amenity site would be manned by two people and administered by WasteServ. The sites would be strictly intended for the bulky refuse of households and small shops and companies, not large industries.

Each site would have about 16 20-foot containers allocated for cardboard, glossy paper, glass, white goods, television sets, oils, wood, batteries, electronic equipment, metals, furniture, paints and the construction waste generated from small do-it-yourself home jobs, among others. Those wishing to get rid of their waste would be able to drive right through the site, find the container allocated for the specific waste and dispose of it there. Last year Maltese households generated 17,000 tons of bulky refuse, excluding hundreds of tons of waste strewn all across the countryside.

"We are hoping this could be one solution towards putting an end to illegal dumping. Civic amenities are also a potential to encourage the private sector to recycle," Dr Ciantar said.

At the moment the bulky refuse collected by local councils from households is mixed and dumped at Ta' Zwejra waste facility. WasteServ employees then separate and handpick those items which can be recycled.

"The present system is not at all organised so the civic amenities should lead to be a much better system of waste separation," he said.