Construction waste issue not addressed, NGO laments

None of the political parties has addressed the issue of construction and demolition waste in their electoral manifestos, Friends of the Earth (Malta) said.

The idea of land reclamation is 'apparently' being favoured over the more logical one of reduction and reuse of such waste, the NGO said, a week before the general election.

There is also no mention of future resort to incineration; and no mention by the Nationalist Party, the Labour Party and Azzjoni Nazzjonali of urban sprawl, vacant properties, and of the new contribution to unsustainable development by the so-called rationalisation of development boundaries and modified local plans.

Still, FoE noted that taken at face value, most of the proposals made by the political parties were commendable even if those by the two major parties contained elements that tend to undermine their credibility. Every party was determined to reform the Malta Environment and Planning Authority; indeed the Nationalist Party manifesto carried the promise by leader Lawrence Gonzi to tackle Mepa reform personally.

Yet, this promise was not accompanied by even a token gesture of good intent, like stopping the wholesale sanctioning of the Dwejra bars, boat houses and summer residences, or some retreat from the contested Rationalisation Scheme, the NGO said.

On the other hand, the Labour Party's determination to reform Mepa did not deter leader Alfred Sant from once again proposing a golf course on Ta' Ċenċ.

FoE also said Labour's proposal to halve the fuel surcharge was not going to help our carbon footprint. What is required is something akin to the AD proposal: a surcharge rate that depends on the actual consumption of water and electricity. That would constitute an equitable application of the 'polluter pays' principle.