A priority issue

The waste problem here in Malta has been building and building for years, with government after government failing to adequately tackle such a spectacularly enormous problem.

Malta is limited in size, and thus waste generated has an even greater impact, mainly as we are running out of space to put it.

The government over the past years has been pushing forward the idea of a circular economy. Malta needs to move in this direction if the country is to have any chance of curbing the ever present waste problem on the island.

Mount Magħtab is a clear reminder of the sheer amount of garbage Malta wastes. Now measures have been taken pushing towards more intense recycling. As an example, Malta saw the introduction of the organic bag last legislature which certainly started to help things, but this is clearly not enough.

yesterday reported that the Għallis landfill – one of two engineered landfills at the Magħtab complex – will have its lifespan extended by nine to 12 months through a vertical expansion project that has just been approved by the environment watchdog, the ERA. “The limited void space available at the Għallis non-hazardous landfill is the most significant waste management issue at the national level. This facility is the only disposal option – barring export at a prohibitive cost – for nonhazardous waste streams where diversion to recovery or recycling is not an option,” according to documents.

Indeed while recycling has taken off a bit in Malta, and helped a bit, More needs to be done to convince more Maltese to recycle, and more schemes are needed to entice more specific forms of recycling.

But more than that, Malta must ensure that it has the facilities to make the best use of the recyclable materials. However, there has been concern raised over the land expansion in Magħtab, which would see farmers effectively kicked off the land that they have been working. Perhaps centralizing all of these facilities in one spot could be a good idea, but at the same time, if it causes so many issues maybe it’s better to keep the sites apart in locations currently already used by Wasteserv.

But this is not the only waste issue Malta faces. Construction waste is another problem, as there is too much waste being generated and limited space to put it.

Indeed, the government has announced that it will be supporting the commercialisation of reconstituted stone, the new alternative for limestone, bricks and concrete. If these are as sturdy as the current materials used, then this could be a step in the right direction.

Reconstituted stone takes full advantage of construction and demolition as a secondary raw material in order to create a new ‘stone’ which can be utilized in the construction of buildings as an alternative to limestone, bricks and concrete.

Indeed what is for sure is that with Malta’s evergrowing population, both domestic and construction waste will likely continue to rise, and thus this particular issue should be at the top of Malta’s priority list.