Complaints of illegal dumping

The Pollution Prevention and Control Unit of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority received and investigated 31 complaints from local councils in November, half of them involving illegal dumping and waste oils.

The Sliema and Mellieha local councils reported 11 infringements together, the authority said yesterday.

With regard to compliance certification, the unit carried out almost 90 inspections to ensure that permit conditions and legislation were being observed. Almost two out of every three of these inspections were carried out on inert landfills and bring-in sites.

There were six court cases involving illegal dumping in various parts of Malta.

In November, the Nature Protection Unit carried out 36 inspections following reports by the public and the police to ensure compliance with wildlife trade regulations. During these inspections, a total of 1,700 flora specimens were inspected and identified and one reptile and 50 bird specimens were seized since these were found to have been traded, possessed or exploited illegally.

Nature Protection Unit inspectors were also summoned to court by the police as court experts. The total sum of fines for five convictions amounted to Lm7,320.

Mepa determined 575 applications in November and received 617 new applications. The net pending caseload at the end of the month was 3,675.

In the same month the authority processed 98 notifications of development, which do not require a formal application.

In November, 103 stop and enforcement notices were issued, 81 in Malta and 22 in Gozo.

The enforcement unit closed 93 enforcement cases in November; 48 cases were sanctioned by the issue of a permit, 36 illegal structures were removed by their owners following enforcement action and nine cases were withdrawn by the authority.