A waste-sorting depot that has sprouted up in Żabbar will have to close down because it has no permits, The Times has learned.

The planning authority has issued an enforcement order after the operation was brought to its attention by this newspaper.

A number of residents in the area had complained that the sorting of dry recyclable waste in the field just off Triq Wied il-Għajn that links Żabbar to Marsascala had been going on for at least three months. Waste carrier trucks and open skips were regularly seen dumping the waste in the field where it was sorted by two men. The field is also riddled with numerous wooden pallets and a scrapped car, and its entrance is blocked by a truck.

A visit to the area on Friday confirmed what residents had reported and a large open truck carrying plastic waste was seen driving out of the field.

A spokesman for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority yesterday said it had started enforcement action against the contravener. The land owner has to return the site to its original state.

This is the first time Mepa issued an enforcement order for the site despite repeated visits by inspect-ors. The offender has in the past cleared the area when warned, according to the spokesman.

Although the offender does have a licence and permit to handle waste – all waste carrier operations, including skip providers, have to have one – he does not have a Mepa permit to use the site in question as a waste-sorting depot.

The field in Żabbar. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli