WasteServ encourages local councils to team up to reduce cost of waste management

"WasteServ has encouraged local councils to team up into regions in an effort to reduce the cost of waste management. By collaborating the management of waste separation at source they will all be more efficient and simpler to manage," Dr Ing. Chris Ciantar, head of strategy and Development at WasteServ, said.

He was talking during a series of intensive consultation meetings with local councils aimed at discussing the proposed plan for the implementation of an EU-funded waste separation project. WasteServ Malta Ltd has obtained €4.6 million in structural funds from the EU to finance this project.

The consultation meetings were well received by all local councils, who also gave their views on how the proposed plan could be better implemented in their locality.

Various localities also commented favourably on the concept of teaming up into regions, as the challenges of implementing this ambitious plan will be faced collectively.

The local councils also stressed the importance of educating the public on the need to separate waste before actually imposing on them.

Current waste management practices, as well as the challenges being faced by local councils to introduce sustainable waste management facilities, were also discussed.

The meetings were also addressed by Rural Affairs and the Environment Minister George Pullicino. Mr Pullicino said that local councils play an important role in devising an adequate system for waste separation in Malta.

An encouraging participation rate has been achieved in the past eight months with 260 tonnes of paper, 92 tonnes of plastic, 48 tonnes of metal and 139 tonnes of glass being collected from bring-in sites.

These amounts augur well for the extension of waste separation in Malta and Gozo. However, there is still much more recyclable material which can be recovered. The challenges and risks that lie ahead need to be examined closely and in full collaboration with local councils so that the needs of each locality are seen to in the implementation of a waste separation system.

Following these consultation meetings with local councils and other stakeholders, WasteServ will now be presenting recommendations to Government for the gradual implementation of a waste separation system across Malta and Gozo. Similar consultation meetings are also planned for environmental NGOs.

Throughout the seminars the various components of the proposed waste separation project were also discussed. These include the development of a number of bring-in-sites for separation of paper, glass, metal and plastic, and the setting up of recycling centres (Civic Amenity Sites) for bulky waste. Another aspect that was discussed was the modernisation of the Sant'Antnin waste treatment plant, for which €16.7 million of cohesion funds are being targeted.