The council said it first learnt of the proposed enlargement through an environmental statement prepared by SLR Consulting Ltd and AIS Environmental Ltd, on behalf of Wasteserv.

The new plant will be processing 200,000 tons a year. It is situated 300 metres away from a residential site and traffic along the roads in Zejtun leading to the site, especially Triq President Anton Buttigieg, will increase by ten times from the current volume.

The resulting traffic and environmental impact will have a negative effect on around 1,150 residences with 3,500 residents.