Worrisome statistics on the environment

Parliament reconvened this week with many interesting answers given in reply to parliamentary questions, but one that really caught our eye was the PQ on recycling. Replying to a question by PN MP Marthese Portelli, Environment Minister Jose Herrera revealed that the amount of plastics, metals and paper recycled between January and November 2017 was down by almost half from the previous year.

In total, 6,658 tonnes of the materials were recycled until November last year, when the total for the year before was 11,538 tonnes.

It is understood that the fire that destroyed a large of the Marsascala recycling plant had a significant effect on recycling, but the numbers were not all that great to start with. Much, much more needs to be done to put Malta at par with other European countries.

And this is not just about the recycling of household waste. Another newspaper recently reported, for example, that white goods are accumulating at several civil amenity sites because there is just nowhere to put them.

Another PQ that got our attention was related to permits for fuel stations. It emerged that between 2013 and last year the Planning Authority received a whopping 67 applications related to fuel stations.

To be fair, most of them relate to the

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upgrading of existing facilities, but a good number propose the relocation of some village core pumps into ODZ areas, while others propose the construction of totally new stations on agricultural land, sometimes just a stone’s throw away from existing fuel stations.

As environmentalist and activist Michael Briguglio said yesterday, one will soon be able to walk from one fuel station to the next. Over the past weeks we reported on a new fuel station that is set to be developed at Marsascala.

Another application has now been submitted for the construction of a fuel station on the road leading from Mgarr to Mosta. It turns out that the applicants in both cases had donated to the Labour Party.

This newspaper yesterday revealed that the application for a new fuel station, very close to an existing filling station on tal-Balal Road, is also being processed.

And this week’s PQ reveals that there are plans for another one in Birzebbugia.

While the country has experienced rapid economic growth over the past few years, it certainly does not need so many fuel pumps. It does not look like the demand has skyrocketed. Maybe this has something to do with fuel smuggling from Libya?

In an case, the increase jars with the recent pledge, by the government, to announce a date for the complete phase-out of fossil fuel cars.

It is high time that the Planning Authority revised its policy to reflect current and future demand and, yes, set a limit on the number of fuel stations that can be approved. We cannot ruin our last few remaining green areas for something that has an expiry date.

Also, the government needs to truly decide whether it is pro-environment or not, for we keep getting mixed messages. On one hand, we have a government that is eager to pass on a big parcel of virgin land to a Jordanian construction company that is supposed to be developing a university, but seems to be failing miserably.

On the other hand, this government has switched from heavy fuel oil to clean gas power, plans to lay a gas pipeline between Malta and continental Europe, and has announced scheme after scheme on solar and other forms of clean energy.

Then occasionally comes the news of some new clump of old trees being destroyed to make way for more concrete, more high rise towers or some ODZ villa get green lighted, and hunters get even more time to practice their wicked sport at Malta’s Majjistral natural park.