The new Mechanical and Biological Treatment plant at the Maghtab Environmental Complex yesterday opened its doors to the public who were shown efforts being made to landfill less waste and generate energy from waste.
The facility, which was inaugurated in March, saw a total investment of almost €50 million, co-financed through EU funds.
The Mechanical Treatment Plant segregates mixed household waste and extracts the organic waste for further treatment.
The facility is expected to receive and treat some 66,000 tonnes of household waste every year
Recyclable materials are also segregated.
The facility is expected to receive and treat some 66,000 tonnes of household waste every year and will also cater for the mechanical processing of bulky waste, estimated at around 47,000 tonnes every year. This process is aimed at volume reduction and the separation of ferrous metals.
The facility that people could see yesterday also included an Anaerobic Digestion Plant which deals with the treatment of the organic fraction extracted in the first process, together with cattle and chicken manure. Waste in this plant will be treated in order to recover energy from biogas, which is produced naturally from the treatment process, while also creating compost as the end product.