The first phase of the Magħtab rehabilitation project has been completed and is now in its second and final stage.
The entire project, being handled by Wasteserv Malta, will be completed within 18 months.
The Magħtab dump was shut down in 2004 when Malta joined the EU.
Resources Minister George Pullicino said due to the uncontrolled and haphazard way in which the dump was formed, it was spoiling the environment, the air and the water table.
“It is a problem which cost us €34 million to solve,” he said, speaking during a tour of the Magħtab environmental complex yesterday.
He added that 80 per cent of the gases emitted from the dump were toxic, while only 20 per cent were methane and could be used for the generation of clean energy.
Contrastingly, the adjacent Għallis engineered landfill emits 20 per cent toxic gases and 80 per cent methane.
To control the toxic gas emissions, around 400 wells were drilled 12 metres into the Magħtab dump and connected to a regenerative thermal oxidiser where the collected gases are subsequently treated.
An engineered capping system, at a cost of €16 million, is also being installed. It will help block the escape of toxic gases as well as reduce rainfall infiltration.
“Consequently, we have effectively reduced dioxins, which are cancerogenic gases, by 99 per cent,” the minister said.
A related project is the installation of a combined heat and power generator to produce electricity using landfill gases. This treats methane gases from the Għallis and Żwejra landfills and has been functional for the past few months. The 25,000 units of electricity generated are being fed into the national grid.
The project’s first phase saw the construction of two kilometres of rubble walls, with a further 1.8 kilometres to be built during the second phase.
The slopes are being finished with vegetation, including 4,000 large trees, 10,500 small trees and 20,000 large shrubs.
A large water reservoir and a water culvert are also being constructed. The water collected will be used for irrigation.
The future plan, the minister said, was to carry out a similar exercise as that of Marsascala’s “good neighbourhood scheme”.
Residents living close to the Sant’Antnin Waste Treatment Plant receive a yearly electricity rebate worth €96.