Friends of the Earth against land reclamation

Land reclamation is a clear failure of construction waste strategy, according to the Friends of the Earth (Malta) which has expressed concern at the government's recent proposal.

It is also calling on the environment minister to explain why land reclamation was not included in the Waste Strategy of 2001.

In a statement issued yesterday, the organisation strongly recommended that stone be seen as a valuable natural resource of the Maltese Islands and should therefore be used in a sensible and sustainable manner before resorting to dumping it at sea.

Malta generated considerable amounts of construction debris as a result of irresponsible wastage at the excavation and processing stage, it said referring to recent figures that no less than 1.5 million tons were generated each year.

"Such a status quo scenario is a sign of incompetence in implementing fundamentally sound measures leading to waste reduction," it said.

"Furthermore, proposals for land reclamation indicate that both Government and Opposition are willing to succumb to pressures by the business community and land speculators at the expense of harm to the marine environment."