Increased waste dumping tariffs to encourage separation - ministry

Waste dumping tariffs for private industry and other waste generating entities increased as from today so as to encourage separation, the Resources Ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement that the new tariffs include a 20 euro increase for each tonne of waste going into the engineered landfill, as well as a reduction to 50c for each tonne of separated waste taken to Sant'Antnin Waste Recycling Plant.

Domestic waste which can be taken to a Civic Amenity Site can still be taken to these centres free of charge. Wasteserv was, however, implementing controls for this service not to be abused by commercial entities.

The ministry said the government was conscious of the need for engineered landfills to laste for the longest possible number of years, so to encourage waste separation, fees had to go up to increase the benefits to those who wanted to recycle waste.

These changes substantially increased initiatives taken by councils to separate waste in the localities. Councils had their fees increased in October.

The government was also in talks with the representatives of waste collectors for these to equip their vehicles with scales which would weigh the waste on site. These talks were at an advanced stage.

This measure was another step towards the implementation of the polluter pays principle.

The changes in fees, the ministry said, encouraged separation while protecting the environment.

These changes should also lead to a reduction in the amount of waste going to an engineered landfill, which cost WasteServ 30 euros per tonne to manage according to EU directives.