Gozo has reached an important milestone and is now processing its own waste in an underground facility in Xewkija.

Until 2004, when Malta joined the EU, waste used to be dumped at the Qortin landfill, which was the dumping ground for Gozo’s waste for several decades and has now been rehabilitated and turned into a garden. From 2004 until recently, Gozo’s waste was transferred to processing plants in Malta.

A WasteServ spokeswoman told The Sunday Times of Malta that the Tal-Kus project in Xewkija saw the rehabilitation of an old, disused quarry. A waste transfer plant was placed inside the quarry and was then covered in garigue to blend in with the surroundings.

Through this project, which was partly funded by EU funds, Gozo is processing its own waste, saving more than 20,000 kilometres of voyages to WasteServ’s processing plants in Malta annually. It is estimated that this alone will reduce CO2 emissions by a tonne every year. The landfill at Tal-Qortin in Xagħra, at the top of the hill overlooking Marsalforn, is now an open air garden filled with indigenous plants and trees, the spokeswoman added.

The site, measuring around five hectares, had been used as a landfill for over 40 years since domestic, commercial, industrial and construction waste started being dumped there in 1968. It was eventually closed upon Malta’s accession in the EU in 2004 after being on the receiving end of more than half a million tonnes of waste. Gozo produces between 25 and 50 tonnes of waste daily, depending on the time of year. The rehabilitation and restoration of the Tal-Qortin site was achieved by the installation of an engineered capping, by planting indigenous Maltese species and by ongoing maintenance and irrigation.

This project was the final stage of the rehabilitation of closed Maltese landfills – Magħtab and Marsascala landfills in Malta and the Qortin landfill in Gozo. All projects, including that of the Tal-Kus waste transfer station, began under previous administrations and continued being developed over the years.

In February last year, then Environment Minister Leo Brincat told Parliament that a substantial part of the former waste dump site had been transferred to Enemalta which was planning on installing photovoltaic panels.

Gozo shadow minister Chris Said had asked why work on a family park planned on the site by the previous government had been discontinued, pointing out that Mepa permits had been issued. He said the PV farm would be an eyesore seen from practically everywhere in Gozo.  The project never came to fruition and no mention of it was made ever again by the government.