A plant treating an estimated 35,000 tons of municipal waste every year will reduce the amount of rubbish disposed of at the engineered landfill, Resources Minister George Pullicino said.

The equipment has been installed at the Sant'Antnin recycling plant, in Marsascala, as part of the second phase of its modernisation programme. The machinery, which is being tested, separates the waste before it moves to another stage of the process. It is thought that about 53 per cent of the waste that reaches the plant is organic and can be turned into compost.

About 21 per cent is waste that can be transformed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and used to generate electricity. This waste is set to produce enough electricity for 1,400 households. Four per cent is recyclable waste that will be sent to the material recovery facility within the plant. This has been operational since February last year.

Mr Pullicino said the remaining 22 per cent, which although processed at the plant cannot be recycled, will be transported to the engineered landfill to be disposed of.