In an interview with TMID (see pages 8 and 9), Mrs Debono said that tender documents for the new facility have been issued. The tender should be awarded by the end of the month and then the project should be completed within two or three months.

This is one way of helping reduce the unpleasant smells that are emanating from waste collection trucks being transported by Gozo Channel ferries from Gozo to Malta, which are known to be causing a considerable amount of inconvenience to passengers, despite the precautions that are taken.

In fact, TMID has learnt that one of these trucks has been singled out and withdrawn from the waste transporting system because it was not up to standard.

TMID carried an article on the subject last Monday, reporting that bad smells were coming from the trucks when the rubbish was being transported.

Officials from WasteServ, Gozo Channel and other sources to which TMID had spoken all said that the trucks were being checked for leaks, cleanliness and other factors, in accordance with criteria that were set when the service started after the closure of Tal-Qortin landfill in Gozo.

It seems that that the vehicle in question was being used to collecting odorous material prior to transferring waste from Gozo, which is in breach of the criteria established by WasteServ and Gozo Channel.

Irrespective of the amount of disinfectant used, the truck kept emanating a bad smell, sources at WasteServ told TMID.

It is not yet clear whether the problem has been solved completely, as sources have told this newspaper that the bad smells have intensified with the summer heat.

However, the Gozo Ministry’s plans to have the island’s waste treated and compressed in sealed containers prior to transportation to Malta should finally solve the problem.

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