Good waste management
Leo Brincat is accustomed to gaffes. He did it again yesterday when he issued a press release on waste management based on data captured two years ago that no longer reflects today’s reality. He jubilantly claimed that “Malta did not win any medal in the EU’s waste management Olympics”.
Had it been for him, we would not even have had the chance to compete with our EU counterparts because he (and his party) strived to keep us away from membership.
The barricades that the opposition erected to disrupt waste management facilities in Malta is well documented. We were advised by Alfred Sant to retain the old Magħtab dump operational after accession. Joseph Muscat pledged to freeze funding for the modernisation of the Sant’Antnin plant!
Our policy on waste management has yielded results. The private sector has also turned waste into a profitable economic activity, creating green jobs while reducing the burden on the public coffer.
Thus, regulatory authorities responsible for the collection of data and statistics cannot only retrieve such data from WasteServ.
The collection and treatment activities taking place within private organisations must also be accounted for when considering Malta’s national reporting obligations on waste management.
Data retrieved by WasteServ alone shows that, in 2010, we diverted 15 per cent of waste from going to landfill. Seven months into 2012, we have already managed to divert 43 per cent! Such progress was not left to chance nor was it left to Mr Brincat himself.
The engineered landfill, the Sant’Antnin waste treatment plant, the collection of recyclables from homes, the five civic amenity sites for bulky refuse and the hazardous waste incinerator are the product of hard work. We successfully tapped EU funding and were also able to rehabilitate old dump sites because we put the necessary alternative infrastructure in place.
Up until December 2011, Malta recovered 85,000 tonnes of bulky refuse from civic amenity sites. Only last week, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority informed us that the sixth civic amenity site may go ahead as planned at Ta’Qali. This facility will offer respite to the agricultural community because all agricultural waste will be received there. This facility is also part of the vegetable market (pitkalija) reform to manage better the disposal of fresh agricultural produce.
These are Malta’s true waste management credentials.
Despite the opposition’s small talk, we will persevere to generate more green jobs and offer a better future to our families – August 9.
Clear
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to go for a swim close to Gozo and Comino and was impressed by the quality of the sea water. Crystal clear! The sea in Comino was full of bream. It felt as though we were swimming in an aquarium, surrounded by thousands of fish.
The improved water quality was not left to chance but is the fruit of government decisions to invest some €100 million in three drainage-treatment projects in Gozo, Mellieħa and the largest in Xgħajra.
Last year, the European Commission declared that Malta had the second cleanest bathing waters within the EU, surpassed only by Cyprus.
Ninety-five per cent of the 87 swimming zones were declared “excellent quality” bathing waters by the Commission while the remaining bays were declared to be of good or sufficient quality. These ratings are expected to improve now that the Xgħajra plant also began to operate last year.
Until 2005, half our swimming zones did not reach European standards. By 2009, we had already made great progress, so much so that 93 per cent of our bays were declared “excellent” by the European Commission. This has not only been an investment in Maltese families but also an investment in the environment on which fishing and tourism depend – August 8.
Salini
The salt pans in Salina, in the limits of Qawra, were built by the Knights in the 16th century due to the importance of salt in the preservation of food. The Ximenes redoubt was built to protect the salt pans. Later on, a store was built within the redoubt by Grand Master Ximenes de Texada while, in 1743, a fougasse, that is a specialised defensive and military structure, was excavated, making the Ximenes redoubt unique.
In the 19th century, a number of huts were built close to the salt pans where salt could be stored and treated. These structures were built by a British regiment and are similar to those found in the Guerande salt pans in France that are known as salorges. These structures were built on a wooden framework, which, over time, eroded and was replaced by corrugated iron sheeting.
Over the past few years, the Salini deteriorated, culminating in the flooding and damages caused by the 2003 storms, after which they remained abandoned. The Ximenes redoubt was also in need of restoration while the fougasse within the redoubt had been buried. We therefore embarked on an extensive rehabilitation and restoration project.
The Ximenes redoubt will be used as a visitors’ information centre, detailing the zone’s history, archaeology, ecology, flora and fauna, ornithology and the traditional use of the salt pans. This centre will be connected to the huts through an underground tunnel.
The salt pans will be restored to produce salt again and, thus, two of the structures that will be built will be used to store and treat the salt, as they were in the past.
The third structure will be used as a museum dedicated to the production of salt in Malta. This project, which will cost about €7 million, is partially funded by the EU – August 7.
Quality
The grape harvesting season is upon us and, within a few months, they will be transformed into quality wines that are the fruit of our own soil. Last year, Maltese grapes produced over two million bottles of wine.
We obviously want high quality Maltese wines on the market and have therefore launched a number of controls to ensure certain standards.
I am pleased to say that 90 per cent of local wines are DOK wines, that is, of a denomination of controlled origin, and the rest are what are referred to as IGT, or typical geographical indication. There are about 80 DOK wines in Malta.
To ensure greater quality controls, we introduced a system of banderols that are given to producers on the basis of the volume of grapes harvested. This averts any risk of “five loaves and two fish” style miracles.
An interesting fact regarding the consumption of wine in Malta is that white wine is the most popular, consisting of 60 per cent of sales, with rosé and red wine sales totalling 10 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.
Yet, with regard to locally produced wines, white wine claims 45 per cent of sales, rosé 20 per cent and red wine 35 per cent. In order to keep up with local demands, the ministry is financing a project to treat vines to produce more red grapes instead of white.
Over the past few years, we have also seen the rise of estate wineries, where vines are grown surrounding a winery where grapes are processed. A Green Paper published in April explores ways in which we can best assist initiatives to strengthen quality wines.
Finally, when choosing local wines, we should recall the farmers who harvest the grapes. Their vines provide colour within our countryside, even during the summer months. Thus, when choosing a local wine, you are also investing in your local environment – August 5.
http://georgepullicino.blogspot.com
The author is Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs.
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Paul Ellul
Aug 14th 2012, 08:05
The Maltese tax payers must surely be the luckiest of all EU citizens.
We have super Ministers who can defy gravity and in their wisdom, they explain the reality of situation and dispel with the flick of their finger, just how much better our performance really is. Honest.
Coming in third from the bottom of a list of 27 EU Countries actually means we are really third from the top. It is the EU's reporting which is hopelessly outdated, as the learned Minister tells us.
Phew, thank God. I almost believe the EU report....imagine that!
Now watch the Minister's next trick as a couple of €100 million are swooped up in a swirl of magic and presto! We are now 2nd from the bottom...... oops pardon me, I meant, 2nd from the top.
I am sure that the other 27 Countries in the EU really wish they had /Ministers like ours!
Can you imagine if the private enterprise and investors of our beautiful Island Country had that kind of intelligence and professional management that the Public entities enjoy?
If only we were as capable as them, I'm sure we would be in the same levels as those small EU Countries like San Marino, Monaco,& Luxembourg to mention a few. After all that is the bench mark, right?
I mean we have to compare like with like, don't we? Small with Small....no?
S. Chetcuti
Aug 13th 2012, 17:48
Kun af Ministru li l-UE gibditlek widnejk u mhux Leo Brincat. Imma ghalik it-tghajjir huwa xi haga normali. L-impjant ta' Sant' Antnin kull ma qed jircievi huwa madwar 60 elf tunnellata ta’ skart fis-sena, il-bqija 190 elf tunnellata ta’ skart fis-sena qeghdin jintremew fil-landfills illegalment kontra kull regola tal-EU. Fl-2006 int u s-Segretarju Permanenti tieghek weghedtu skont l-istrategija tal-immanigjar tal-iskart li se jinbnew zewg impjanti ohra wiehed f’Ghawdex u l-iehor gewwa l-Ghallis fejn dan meta kien sar studju biex jigi kkomparat bhala sit alternattiv ghal dak ta’ Sant’ Antnin kien intqal fost affarijiet ohra li kien zghajr hafna. Issa tridu taghmlu iehor hafna akbar minn dak ta’ Marsaskala. Mhux kollu gideb dan? Sur Ministru fis-26 ta’ Settembru 2005, int kont weghed quddiem folla nies f’Wied il-Ghajn li jekk l-impjant ta’ Sant’ Antnin wara l-famuz immodernizzar li gie jiswa €32 miljuni jibqa’ jinten jitnehha. Mela tista’ tnehhih ghax qed jinten.gmielu. Staqsi lill-monitoring Board tal-Mepa u tkun taf.
Mrs diana cottis
Aug 13th 2012, 17:26
You only have to look at the rubbish bags waiting for collection to see how "well" recycling is going in Malta. Plenty of recyclable stuff is going to landfill on a daily basis. Mr Pullicino is also ignoring the biggest contributors to landfill and that is the construction industry - how much recycling is being done there? The new mini Maghtab might give him a clue. The only reason anything has been done at all by any Maltese governments is down to pressure from the EU otherwise it would be even worse than it already is.
J Cachia
Aug 13th 2012, 16:28
The biggest gaffe was when George Pullicino managed to persuade the PL?? Mayor of Marsascala to have a secret tour around the Sant’ Antnin plant behind the resident’s back in the midst of the controversy.
Edward Mallia
Aug 13th 2012, 15:20
First time I have seen Minister Pullicino keep his (and our) light under a bushel. Surely there was every reason for keeping the EU updated on our great progress in waste management. After all we do not want Brussels to continue making gaffes when it comes to assessments of our degree of conformity with EU norms and expectations. Has he in fact put Brussels right now or is he waiting for yet another "gaffe" from them and from Leo Brincat, just to get some "political" mileage?
Edward Mallia
Aug 13th 2012, 16:16
One small addition: the EU seems to be using the recently published MEPA 2010 Environmental Indicators relating to waste. Are Minister Pullicino and Minister Demarco not on speaking terms, and are all those expensive (and multiple) MEPA CEOs and chairmen of boards well over 18 months behind the times? On the same subject of delayed action: is it not the case that in the new MEPA "law" , the Legal Notice relating to fines for infringements is still not published, a year after the passge of the Reform through Parliament? The "infringers" must be having a field day.
M Grima
Aug 13th 2012, 14:24
if their is anyone who is accustomed to gaffes it is you Dr. Pullicino. The bad certificate given to Malta by the EU in Waste management goes on to prove your inability to administer a ministry which is responsible for the environment. You did not only fail but worst still your inefficiencies have badly damaged our fragile reputation. And to add insult to injury you are rubbishing the recent EU report on Malta's waste management which describes Malta as having deficits in all kinds of waste management issues.
What's good about opening new gardens if after a while they end up as rubbish dumps? What's good if laws are enacted to protect the environment and they are not enforced? What's good if Malta's recycling and separation policy is one big joke? What's good if the building industry in Malta do as they please just because they are the main benefactors of GonziPN?
Do us a favour Mr. Pullicino, stick to swimming with the breams and leave the environment to someone who can deliver.
S. Attard
Aug 13th 2012, 13:41
Is-sur Mercieca ghandu ragun biex ibiegh. Jekk il-Minjistru George Pullicino ghandu biex jiftahar fuq kollox, zgur li m'ghandux biex jiftahar fuq il-bini tal-impjant tal-iskart ta Sant'Antnin. Minkejja l-ftashir ta Impjant 'state of the art', l-inkonvenjenzi ghadhom hemm. Jekk ma jridx jemmen lilna li noqoghdu hemm, nistiednu jara ftit il-minuti tal-laqghat tal-Board u jara ghalih innifrsu. L-area tal-impjant hija zona ta grieden, ta nemus u dubbien. Ghandu wkioll ragun fuq il-mod ta kifr sar il-process. Tbazwir, ksur tal-ligijiet u fuq kollox bil-Ministryu George Pullicino jindahal fejn ma jesawx. Ma ninsa qatt dak li qal l-istess Ministru lil Dr Josie Muscat - dejjem skont l-istess Dr Josie Muscat - li kien qallu li n-nies ta Marsaskala ighidu x'ighidu u jaghmjlu x'jaghmlu dak hemmse jsir". Arroganza li mhux facli tifhimha. Naqbel mal-Ministru George Pullicino li qabel mal-PN jikkonferma l-kandidati tieghu ghandu jsirilhom test xjentifiku.!! Sur Ministru mhux l-EU tiggudikak, lanqas Leo Brincat, jiggudikawk il-poplu dalwaqt.
J. Ellul
Aug 13th 2012, 12:52
Minister Pullicino should resign for placing Malta third from last in waste management. The waste strategy has been a big flop. First they took years to come up with one and the one they chose they failed miserably to sustain it. Initially Sant’ Antnin recycling was to cater for all the waste from around Malta and Gozo, over 200,000. tones per year. After the big controversy Minister Pullicino was forced to alter the waste strategy into having two more recycling plants to process the rest of two/thirds of waste generated in Malta and Gozo, that is 150,000.00 tones of waste per annum. Minister Pullicino back in 2006 indicated a small recycling plant in Gozo and a large one in Ghallis. Can the Minister explain what happened or is he keeping it quite as not to upset the residents involved before the up coming general election. We all know why the report by the Mepa auditor was blocked. The whole process was vitiated and political involvement and pressure was the order of the day. There is a pending Court case that soon will uncover the irregularities surrounding the whole process leading to the permit by the Mepa Board were five members were political appointees.
F. Mercieca
Aug 13th 2012, 12:31
A little comment for Minister George Pullicino to consider very well. I am not from Marsaskala, but I happen to have relatives there whom I visit very frequently. They live just opposite the Sant'Antnin Waste Recycling Plant. They tell me how the process that followed the building of the new plant was vitiated, with several articles of the Development Planning Act breached. They insist that these are all mentioned in Mr J. Falzon's report, ex auditor of MEPA. They complained to me about the foul smells caused by the same plant during the last months; some of which were awful and some of which I had witnessed myself. . They are very worried about the important fact that , as confimred by reports, the health study which is so vital to the residents, has not been carried out. I myself can confirm that just two days ago, I saw rats crossing from the Plant to the part where the Family Park is being constructed. They are also worried about the attitude of their local council, especially the mayor in all this. Is it right for the mayor to be a direct member of the committee set up by WasteServ to monitor what's going on in the plant ? Don't you think that the mayor's presence at the committee may serve as a scapegoat in the whole issue? And what steps are being, taken, if any, for the health study to be be carried out. The residents, in my opinion, have the right to know.
Monica Galea
Aug 13th 2012, 12:24
Not even the promised family park as planning gain for dumping the recycling plant considered as an obnoxious industry has been delivered in time. You are depriving the community of Marsacala from €2.3 M as penalty for not finishing the park within 5 years from the issue of the permit of the Sant’ Antnin plant, completion date being 31 January 2012. Shame on you Minister for treating people as imbeciles. Even the green party Alternattiva Demokratika are asking for your resignation.
James McIntosh
Aug 13th 2012, 12:06
Before you hoist your banner and pass out the medals, at least admit that the efforts you describe were driven by EU dictat and not by political chioce, reference the treatment of waste and water quality. Like it or not, whatever EU decides to implement as EU policy MUST become official policy for whomever is the Executive Government of the day. Had it been PL in power these same policies would have been forcibly implemented by dictat from the EU Commission .
Please choose the reason of your report below: