Gas extraction from the Maghtab, Zwejra and Ghallis landfills will generate some 1.5 mega watts of electricity – enough to power some 3,000 households per year.

The energy, which will be fed back into the power grid, is created through the battery principle, Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino explained during an on-site visit to Maghtab. He said that each of the new landfills was literally a sealed battery fuelled by decomposing waste inside.

“When that waste decomposes, it produces very high quality methane gas.

That in turn will be used to fuel a generator that will create the power,” he said.

WasteServ CEO Vince Magri said that it was estimated that 1.5MW are to be generated from Zwejra, Ghallis and Maghtab. This power, he said, shall suffice to meet the needs of some 9,500 persons or some 3,000 households.

The extraction is planned to start with the installation of a 300KW generator, followed by the gradual installation of two other generators, each having a rating of 500KW.

However, Maghtab is another story. Mr Pullicino frankly explained that the dump – although shut, inactive and with its foundations currently being strengthened to prevent collapse – was still a furnace at its core, reaching some 200 degrees Celsius in places.

“We will be sinking some 300 to 400 steel vats into the core of the mound and we will kill two birds with one stone. We will collect any viable and good quality methane gas, but other gases that are of no use will burn off and that will help lower the combustion within the mound,” he said.

The project, including that of electricity generation is co-financed by the European Union, with Malta’s contribution being 25 per cent. In fact, Wastserv secured some e8.4 million in structural funds under the Regional Development Fund for the implementation of the project: “Aerial Emissions Control”. This project includes the control of the aerial emissions and the rehabilitation of the Maghtab landfill.

This might all sound fanciful and easy – but when one is actually inside the compound – one can appreciate the enormity of the task of making safe a mountain of volatile rubbish, while at the same time disposing of every day’s waste.

The engineered landfills are worry and hassle free – and soon they will generate electricity for our needs. In layman’s terms, the authorities have established which parts of Maghtab are safe to ‘eat away’ at – and there is plenty to eat from as the mountain of rubbish is gigantic.

The inert waste is then sorted as best as possible, and the construction debris is then used to cover parts of the landfill that need contouring to make the site easier to navigate through when it comes to landscaping it, to make it more pleasing on the eye, as well as to seal off those parts that are still exposed.

When driving through the old Maghtab part of the site, one can truly appreciate the mess that was made. There are piles upon piles of pieces of plastic, metal, wood, tins and any other form of waste imaginable. The real shock came when Eng. Magri said that what reporters were scrutinising was 30-year-old trash.

The first phase of the Maghtab Rehabilitation Project kicked off with the waste recontouring works within the site limits so that platforms and access routes for vehicles on site could be created. The work also includes the moving of inert waste which was originally thrown in the landfill, and which is now being used in this process. This means that no waste is leaving the site.

Mr Pullicino reiterated that this landfill – together with the Tal-Qortin landfill in Gozo – have been closed and inoperative since the end of April of 2004.

“This means that Malta – like all other European countries and according to international regulations and directives – has started using engineered facilities equipped with all the necessary mechanisms so that it leaves no impact on the environment. The first engineered landfill is the facility known as Ta’ Zwejra,” he said.

Mr Pullicino insisted that all this is being carried out to strengthen the foundations and to create the stability in the huge mass of waste, as well as to prepare the site for the rehabilitation works.

“That was why we chose to come here today, as it is important that we are conscious of the EU’s vast contribution to our country, especially to the waste management sector. In this particular field, WasteServ is implementing various projects for a total of cost of around e12 million.”

Eng. Magri said that following the stabilisation process currently under way, they will be introducing the latest technology so that the foul smells are heavily controlled as well as to treat the dangerous gaseous substances before these are released in the air.

This means that the project comprises the control of gases and smoke being emitted from the landfill and which are caused by the heat and fire generated by the waste itself.

“This is a very important challenge as the old sites started being used at a time when the environmental impact of such a practice was still unknown, and so the leachate or gas control system coming out of the dumped waste was simply not used,” concluded Eng. Magri.

Mr Pullicino said that it was government’s dream to turn the mountain of rubbish into a national park. “It will take about seven to 10 years, but it can be done. In fact, by the end of the year, an international call will be issued to see how we can landscape the area, and the best way to do it,” he said.

When asked to comment on the MLP’s proposal for a golf course there, Mr Pullicino said: “There is just not enough area for it. Besides, look around you, not even Tiger Woods could hit a ball here.”

Facts

•Between 220-250,000 tonnes of domestic waste are put into landfills each year;

•800,000 tonnes of inert construction waste has been used to contour the area and cover the full engineered cells;

•The average Maltese Joe produces three per cent more waste every year;

•Yet, the amount dumped last year remained constant due to recycling centres and bring in sites;

•Last year, some 150,000 tyres were collected from within Maghtab and shipped abroad;

•Trees are being planted at the various sites;

•450,000 square metres of Maghtab has been ‘eaten’ to cover other parts of the site;

•When construction waste was still dumped at Maghtab the record was 1.2 million tons;

•Ghallis is expected to meet our disposal needs for seven years – maximum 10;

•Waste collected from bring in sites doubled from 2004 to 2005.