This government has undertaken to strive to give the Maltese a better quality of life through various and diverse initiatives in the medical, economic and educational fields.
However, we would never be able to enjoy the benefits of these endeavours if we were to ignore the challenges posed by waste generation. Waste cannot be treated as waste anymore. It has to be managed in a rational and studied way and I am very happy that its importance is recognised by all and sundry.
Equally, the importance of local councils as pivotal stakeholders and partners in nationwide efforts to improve Malta’s efforts at waste management has been recognised by both the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change (MSDEC) and Wasteserv. On July 24, together with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government, these entities launched a pilot project aimed at encouraging households to separate their organic waste.
The introduction of the third bag in which organic waste is to be separated was a natural step for us to undertake, following the pledge made by this government in last year’s budget speech to introduce the separation at source of organic waste. This also follows from Malta’s Waste Management Plan 2014 – 2020.
At present, most households separate tins, plastics, paper and glass and put the rest of their waste in the black bag. The contents of this bag are made up of the material which cannot be recycled and a large part of it is made up of organic waste which is waste generated by food preparation and consumption as well as gardening waste. But why should we collect our organic waste separately?
A simplistic answer would be that we are filling up landfills which occupy precious land with things that could be used to generate electricity.
Unlike inert waste, organic waste is made of organisms that are alive and that eventually decompose. This process releases gases which when harnessed can be used to produce energy. Thus, by throwing our organic waste in landfills, we are wasting an important fuel which can help us produce electricity from a clean source, rather than fossil fuels. Secondly, we are occupying more space in our landfills.
By separating organic waste, we will succeed in reducing the volume of the black bag by half, consequently bringing about a dramatic reduction in the volume of waste dumped at Magħtab and using the organic waste in order to generate electricity. By doing so, we will contribute towards cutting greenhouse gas emissions and enjoy cleaner air.
We are filling up landfills which occupy precious land with things which can be used to generate electricity
This pilot project among residents in five diverse localities is testing their responsiveness and willingness to separate organic waste at home. The local councils chosen to participate in the pilot project are those of Mdina, Cospicua, Birkirkara, Għaxaq and Ta’ Xbiex. They collectively account for 12,208 households and roughly five per cent of the population of the Maltese islands.
These five localities were chosen due to their demographic differences, both in terms of size as well as in terms of location and population age.
Mdina was chosen due to its small size and ageing population. Bormla on the other hand was chosen because of its location in the inner harbour district, as well as of the general lack of awareness relating to waste separation.
Birkirkara was an obvious choice in order to test this new system of collection in a central and largely populated area, while Għaxaq was ideal as a southern rural village. Ta’ Xbiex is unique due to its mix of local and foreign residents as well as the presence of a great number of embassies.
Such a diverse sample will surely help in achieving accurate results which will be of great use in the nationwide implementation of organic separation. During the first stages of this project, I met with all these local councils and encouraged them to participate in it. These councils stand to benefit as the educational campaign will help their population become more aware of the challenges posed by waste and, therefore, the people’s concerns and difficulties will be addressed.
I have always envisaged a set of values for local government to abide by: efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability, which are tied to the operational side of councils. However, their raison d’être is their proximity to the people. By vocation, councils are the closest form of governance available to us, and MSDEC and Wasteserv immediately saw them as key stakeholders in this project.
Furthermore, the Local Councils Act clearly states that one of the functions of local councils is “to provide for the collection and removal of all refuse from any public or private place”.
Following the July launch, an educational campaign ensued within the five localities which are participating in the pilot project. Wasteserv representatives carried out door-to-door visits distributing free bins and bags and providing information on the importance of the scheme and what can and cannot go into the organic bag. Such information is also available from the Wasteserv website.
The organic bag will be collected twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays as from this month. In the meantime, another four localities will join the pilot project. An information campaign in this second batch of localities will precede the organic waste collection which will start in January.
Wasteserv will also be monitoring the contents of the organic bags in order to establish public response to the system and use the data obtained in order to fine tune its operations.
As a nation, we have chosen wisely to seek to reduce the dumping of waste in our landfills and treat our waste as the resource it is.
I am sure that local councils will rise to the occasion and prove to be pivotal in our country’s efforts at fulfilling its waste-separation obligations. I am sure that this will result in our leaving future generations a cleaner and more beautiful country than we have found.
Dr Stefan Buontempo is Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government.