Waste collectors accused of mixing garbage to save money

A disgruntled garbage handling firm yesterday accused waste collection companies of mixing domestic rubbish with industrial refuse to bypass landfill fees and so offer “ridiculously” low prices when submitting tenders.

Greenlines Environmental Services Ltd, which has operated for the past 18 years, said in a judicial protest that refuse collectors already engaged by local councils were collecting industrial waste, on which a higher fee had to be paid for its disposal, and then mix it with domestic rubbish to save money when dumping it.

The company noted that rates charged for the dumping of one tonne of domestic garbage was very different to that levied in the case of industrial waste.

Greenlines said it had arrived to this conclusion after examining the bids made in connection with tenders issued since last year. This, it added, made it realise that refuse collectors won the tenders because they had “ridiculously low prices”.

The situation, the company said, was putting it at a disadvantage because it was following the law and was therefore not in a position to offer such low prices as other collectors.

The company said it wrote on the matter to the Director of Local Government, Wasteserv and the Commissioner of Police but no response was forthcoming.

The protest was filed against Wasteserv, the Director of Local Government, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police.

Lawyers Franco Vassallo and Jimmy John Vella signed the protest.