Close to €1 million is being allocated to studies to determine the best waste management option for the country – waste-to-energy incineration or the export of waste.

Environment Minister Leo Brincat said when he inherited the waste management problem, plans had already been defined for the construction of an incinerator next to the Delimara power station but there were no studies to justify this was the best option for the country.

Dr Brincat said a call for tenders had been issued for the incinerator but all bidders were disqualified during the adjudication process on the eve of the election.

He said the government did not want to move into such an investment “blindly”, without being fully aware of the potential alternatives and of the economic, environmental and health repercussions associated with such a decision.

“Once we have the necessary studies, we will decide,” the minister said, adding that an international call for tenders for the studies would be issued shortly.

He said a number of European countries had incinerators that were hungry for waste so export prices had come down. The government wanted to consider this option.

In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta, Mr Brincat had said incineration remained “an issue of last resort” for a Labour government. This could help the country avoid the health and environmental risks associated with an incinerator.