Malta has the worst record of all the EU member states in terms of municipal waste management, with just eight per cent being recycled or sent for composting, while the rest is disposed of at the Magħtab landfill.

This damning indicator stems from Eurostat data for 2016, which shows Malta had the second-highest annual waste generated per capita at 647 kilograms.

While Denmark topped the list with 777 kilograms for each citizen, the environmental impact in that Scandinavian country was much less than Malta’s, as Denmark’s share of landfill disposal was just one per cent. The remaining 99 per cent was either recycled, used for compost or else disposed of through other means such as incineration.

Details on the performance of each member state were recently discussed at a roundtable conference organised by the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The event marked the approval of ambitious recycling targets by MEPs as part of four legislative proposals on waste aimed to promote the so-called circular economy – the term used to describe an economy geared towards reusing resources as much as possible and limiting waste disposal to a minimum.

At least 55 per cent of municipal waste must be recycled by 2025, rising to 60 per cent by 2030

Under the EU targets, at least 55 per cent of municipal waste must be recycled by 2025, rising to 60 per cent by 2030 and 65 per cent by 2035. Furthermore, 65 per cent of packaging will have to be recycled by 2025, and 70 per cent by 2030. Separate targets are set for specific packaging materials, such as paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metal and wood.

The draft law, the text of which goes back to the European Council for formal approval, also limits the share of municipal waste being landfilled to a maximum of 10 per cent by 2035.

In 2014, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden had already reached a stage whereby less than one per cent of municipal waste was being sent to landfills. In contrast, in 2016 Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Latvia and Malta were still resorting to landfills to dispose of more than three-quarters of their municipal waste.

In this respect, Malta tops the list, at 92 per cent, almost four times the EU average of 25 per cent. At this rate, the Magħtab landfill is set to reach full capacity within the next two years.

Last February, Environment Minister José Herrera announced that a waste-to-energy facility would be built at Magħtab with the capacity to process up to 40 per cent of Malta’s waste. Works on the plant, whose cost is estimated to reach €150 million, are set to start next year, with the completion date set for 2023.

The 5,000 square metre facility will process 114,000 tons of waste every year – all the waste left over once the country reaches its recycling target of 60 per cent.

To help in achieving this target, recycling at source will become mandatory with the introduction of new legislation.

Concerns have arisen on the impact the plant will have in terms of the air quality in the surrounding area. However, the government is insisting that according to its studies, the impact falls within industrial emission limits.

Municipal waste: EU targets and situation in Member States

*Data from 2014 **Data from 2015

Other methods of waste disposal such as incineration bring the total to 100 per cent. Sources: Eurostat, EPRS, European Commission