Nearly 500 vehicles have turned up at the Maghtab civic amenity site since it opened a month ago, lugging bulky refuse that will be separated and recycled.

WasteServ is hoping this 1,800-square-metre site, the first of five, will discourage people from dumping unwanted household waste in the countryside.

All types of bulky refuse is being taken to the site, from tiles to furniture, to cardboard and electronics, but the most common material being disposed of is wood; the operators have had to add another container to meet the demand.

This site is open every day, weekends included, between 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. to make it more convenient for the public.

"There is now absolutely no excuse for people to continue dumping illegally. Instead of driving to Mellieha, for example, they can make a detour to Maghtab and get rid of it properly," said Daniela Vella, WasteServ's communication officer.

"Every citizen has a civic duty to protect the environment, but sadly you still come across sinks and fridges jutting out of the greenery, marring rural areas. If you're going to carry it in your car, then just go to a civic amenity site," she said.

Within a few weeks the second civic amenity site, covering an area of 5,000 square metres in Mriehel, will start operating followed, later this year, by the remaining three in Hal Far, Luqa and Tal-Kus, in Gozo.

These, together with the bring-in sites scattered across the island, will alleviate the burden on the landfill and lead to a greener environment, it is hoped.

The bring-in sites are becoming ever more popular as WasteServ continues its campaign to educate people about thinking twice before dumping their plastic, tins, glass and paper into their domestic rubbish bin.

However, Ms Vella said it was extremely frustrating to find bulky refuse, furniture and sometimes dead animals dumped next to these bring-in sites.

In an attempt to drive the message home on how every civic amenity and bring-in site ties in with its efforts to have a cleaner island, WasteServ is organising its second open day on March 3, at Maghtab.

People can book a tour on a mini van that will take them through the civic amenity, the closed Maghtab landfill which is being rehabilitated, and the Ta' Zwejra and Ghallis engineered landfills.

Technical people will be explaining how the gases are extracted from the closed landfill and neutralised, how an engineered landfill works and how bulky waste can be disposed of.

The previous open day generated a lot of interest from students, families and teachers, among others - about 500 people had turned up.

The next open day will run between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. People are encouraged to book by calling freephone 8007 2200 or 2385 8000. Guided visits will be organised every hour. The meeting point is Maghtab Gate.

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