A new construction waste crisis was averted last week when the government reached an agreement with quarry owners over dumping fees.

Once again, construction in Malta was going to grind to a halt and Infrastructure Malta had told all of its contractors to halt roadworks being carried out around the country, saying that there was nowhere to dump the debris generated by the projects.

The Environment and Resources Authority later contradicted these claims, saying that there was enough space in quarries. And sources told this newsroom that the issue was not about space but about dumping fees.

The handful of quarries that are currently operating had increased their prices again and Infrastructure Malta did not want to compensate its contractors for the sudden price hike.

The Environment Ministry stepped in and reached a deal with quarry owners, who agreed to a fixed lower price in return for tax credits. Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia has assured that there is enough void space in quarries to last for several years.

Farrugia said, in an opinion piece published in The Malta Independent on Sunday, that the government was giving a helping hand, not giving quarry owners a freehand license.

While the government is doing its part, the industry must also be part of the solution.

There are several old quarries, particularly in the Siggiewi, Mqabba and Qrendi area that could take hundreds of thousands of tons of construction waste. At present, they are just empty holes - an eyesore and a waste of space.

We should not be speaking about the possibility of dumping at sea when it is clear that there is more than enough space to last us for at least a few years. The government has now said that dumping at sea should only be used as a last resort, but the controversial process is still considered as an option.

The previous administration had warned that it could requisition quarries whose owners refuse to accept construction waste, despite being given the permits to do so and. The idea of taking over these sites should not be discarded if their owners keep refusing to do their part.

But finding dumping space alone is not enough.

There are areas near Siggiewi and other places where one can find mountains of used limestone bricks. Most of the material is in near pristine condition and can be easily recycled and used in construction.

A few months back, the government had announced a scheme whereby a number of materials would be used to generate reconstituted stone, which would serve as an alternative to bricks or limestone.

It is imperative that process gets underway as soon as possible.

In the meantime, used limestone bricks that are in good condition can also be re-used.

Refilling these old quarries and making use of perfectly good unused material will not only help solve the construction waste crisis and reduce the amount of 'new' stone we produce but will also be greatly beneficial to the environment.