Rehabilitating the old Magħtab dump

I would like to clarify many of the many misconceptions contained in Karm Vella's letter entitled The Trash Mountain At Magħtab (February 23).

The aerial emission project is one of the main aspects of rehabilitating the old landfill. €8.3 million have been allocated for this initiative and this project is being co-financed by EU Structural Funds through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). WasteServ's commitment is to collect the hazardous gases and clean them before allowing them to be released into the atmosphere, and this is rendering highly successful results.

In fact, more than 90 wells have been installed, together with interconnecting pipe work to extract this gas.

The efficiency of capturing gases has reached 91 per cent of the emissions captured and laboratory tests have proven that 96 per cent to 98 per cent of the dioxins from gases extracted have been destroyed by the treatment system. Also, for the technically minded, the effectiveness of treatment of methane is in the region of 86 per cent, reducing the impact on the rate of the carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. As can be witnessed by passers-by, the drilling equipment is still drilling into the landfill to install more wells and collect more gases. By the end of this year, all works shall be completed and the entire mountain shall be prepared for capping and plantation.

On the other hand, the material excavated to create the engineered landfill (and not dump) is mainly being stored to be used to cap the old Magħtab landfill.

I am sure that this is what Mr Vella is referring to in his letter, which could be seen from St Paul's Bay. The small amount transported to the top of the mountain is in preparation for the covering of the area from where engineered soil is being taken to cover the northern bund (the section next to the Coast Road).

It is encouraging to note that the Christmas tree experiment was noticed and appreciated. Our way forward is now to extract and utilise renewable energy from waste. The larger concentration of methane is formed in the engineered landfills, where air is not allowed to reach waste and therefore does not encourage fires similar to what we have witnessed within the old Magħtab dump in the past 30 years!

The Żwejra engineered site is currently being covered by a mixture of clay to avoid water infiltration from the top. The high tension cables are now being installed between the sub-station at the Magħtab complex gate, which is connected to the grid, and the gas plant area where another sub-station is to be built to terminate the cables and provide a feeding point for the electrical energy produced by the generators operated by the landfill gas.

As regards the monitoring issue, an air sampling unit could easily be missed by a driver when his eyes are set on the road. A visit to our facility could be made and a tour organised so that the interested party can witness the testing and also be provided with details of readings and results of analyses carried out at accredited laboratories abroad.

Water samples from existing boreholes are also taken periodically as obliged by the conditions imposed on WasteServ by the local authorities.