As much as 600 shafts will be inserted in the waste mound, from which gas will be extracted, the minister explained. He said that he recently had an opportunity to visit a similar process at a landfill in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“The plans we have for Maghtab are very similar to what is going on in Israel,” he said. Following the extraction of the gases – which at the moment are the cause of a multitude of fires that break at the landfill on a daily basis – the area can be landscaped and turned into a recreation area.
Minister Pullicino was speaking at a seminar organised by Wasteserv for local councils. The seminar is the first in a series of meetings the corporation will have with local councils, in order to discuss the implementation of a national waste separation system.
Yesterday’s meeting was attended by local councils from the central region. In the next few days, councils from the southern and northern regions will attend a similar presentation.
Wasteserv was recently granted E4.6 million from EU structural funds for the implementation of a nation-wide waste separation system, said Mr Pullicino, adding that local councils have a crucial part to play in the success of the system’s implementation.
Over the past months there has been an encouraging participation from the public in the present separation scheme. In fact, from May up to last month, a total of 260 tonnes of paper, 92 tonnes of plastic, 48 tonnes of metal and 139 tonnes of glass were collected from the current 50 bring-in sites.
Next year, announced Mr Pullicino, the number of bring-in sites will be increased to 400. “We need to work on the best system possible to create the least inconvenience. As happens with most matters, everyone is in favour of waste separation but nobody wants the bring-in sites next to their home.” There are also plans to introduce three or four civic amenity sites, designed to take bulky refuse, he added.
A proper waste treatment policy, and the facilities it requires, cost a considerable amount of money, said Mr Pullicino, adding that the only alternative to investment in this sector is Maghtab and the negative effects it had on the environment.
Wasteserv has applied for some E16.7 million from the EU cohesion waste funds to be able to upgrade its waste treatment facilities in tandem with the introduction of these sites. Furthermore, he said, the EU had already granted E24 million of the E32 million needed to implement a number of related projects. These funds cover capital expense and not recurrent expenditure, which this year will run into some Lm4 million.
Since last May, a lot of progress has been made in the sector, said Mr Pullicino, giving the closure of the Maghtab landfill as an example. The new waste storage facility at Ta’ Zwejra is a properly engineered site with a lined base that prevents seepage.
Construction waste has also been catered for, he said, and is now being placed in disused quarries. “So far, some 2.3 million tonnes of construction waste have been used to reclaim 10 quarries .”
In conclusion, Mr Pullicino said that there was more to be done in the field, emphasising, however, that this means considerable investment.
“Waste separation, especially the disposal of construction waste, is heavily subsidised by the government and is not covered by the revenue generated by the eco-contribution, a situation which eventually will have to be seen to.”