Recent reports about the disposal of rubbish and waste collection arrangements in the country’s capital city highlighted the massive problems facing Malta with its garbage collection, landfilling capacity and abysmal record of waste recycling.
A comparative study of the cost of garbage collection and landfilling that looked at all local councils’ expenditure on domestic waste collection found that the bill amounted to about €4.7 million annually. Landfilling these bags cost another €3.2 million.
This country is plagued by a greater long-term problem. Maltese homes are producing 25 per cent more garbage than national estimates had predicted. A study conducted by Green MT indicated that a massive 136,523 tonnes of black bags are being produced every year. Meeting the 2020 green targets on landfilling of 55,000 tonnes annually is now beyond reach.
Malta is ranked sixth among countries in the European Union that generate the most waste per inhabitant. Experts working on the government’s new waste management plan have reported that the country’s reliance on landfill sites has been allowed to go on for too long. Nearly 90 per cent of all waste is sent to landfills, with only eight per cent being recycled. The major cause of the problem is lack of waste separation nationally.
The island is facing major waste collection and rubbish disposal problems. As the population grows and citizens’ affluence and material well-being increase, the problem will escalate. Tough steps are needed if we are not to sink under a mountain of waste and have our quality of life blighted by the sight of smelly black bags on every street corner.
The government is examining new ways to deal with the rising tide of rubbish as landfill sites reach full capacity within two years. More such facilities are not the answer. Alternatives to reverse the waste management crisis should be considered, including modern options to incineration, as possible solutions.
Ways of ‘turning waste to energy’, are the main options being considered. Waste recovery has advanced significantly in recent years and there are alternatives to burning it in an incinerator without having the same negative impact on the environment and public health as existing technology.
The prime advantages of using ‘waste-to-energy’ incineration as a waste management method are that waste volumes are significantly reduced and it can be used to produce electricity and heat to power and warm up nearby buildings. The ash produced can also be used by the construction industry.
On the other hand, incineration facilities are expensive to build, operate and maintain. They also require skilled staff to handle them. Moreover, smoke and ash emitted can produce poisonous air pollution.
The critical drawback, however, is that incineration may, ultimately, encourage more waste production because incinerators require large volumes of waste to keep the fires burning. And it may encourage the government to opt for incineration over preferred recycling and waste-reduction programmes.
The solution ideally is to use recycling and waste reduction as the first lines of defence in an effort to reduce our overall waste. In parallel, incineration technology should be used where appropriate as part of a sustainable, all-encompassing waste management and energy production system.
Incineration should be regarded as a technology that is part of a holistic plan to manage waste in the future.