Waste brought to the Maghtab landfill decreased by 4,000 tonnes during 2006 as a result of waste minimisation and recycling initiatives. Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said yesterday

Mr Pullicino was speaking at the official launch of the Civic Amenity Site at the Maghtab Environment Complex.

The civic amenity site is equipped with various containers and members of the public can drive through to dispose of various materials, including electronics, furniture, garden waste, cardboard and waste oils.

Mr Pullicino said that during 2006, the amount of waste disposed of in the landfill decreased by three per cent.

“The amount of waste generated in developed countries actually increases every year. However, even though it did increase in 2006, there was a reduction of three per cent in what was brought to the landfill – or 4,000 tonnes – as people are separating their waste.”

Mr Pullicino explained that this is the first of five civic amenity sites.

“The other sites are situated in Mriehel, Luqa, Hal Far and Gozo. The Mriehel site is ready and will be officially launched in the near future,” said Mr Pullicino.

The five sites cost a total of Lm845,000 to construct and were mainly funded by the EU, he added.

He emphasised that the free bulky refuse collection service will not be stopped and will be still offered to the public.

Since the Maghtab civic amenity site opened in November, around 700 vehicles brought about 200 tonnes of recyclable material, said Mr Pullicino. Of this, only one-fourth was sent to the landfill—the rest was separated and sent for recycling.

During 2006, at least 5,000 tonnes of bulky refuse was collected, said Mr Pullicino.

The minister explained that there is a site for hazardous waste and that a grid network of around 400 wells will extract the gasses from the waste mass. So far, 40 wells have already been built at Maghtab—the wells are around 14 metres deep and a gas compound will be installed in each one of them in the coming weeks to extract the gas, said Mr Pullicino.

Around 500 people visited the Maghtab during the Open Day organised last year and the ministry is planning to organise another one later on this year.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the Maghtab landfill to fully rehabilitate it, he said. “A total of Lm168 million will be spent on Maghtab to convert it into a national park,” he added.

Not all of the material can be recycled in Malta, explained Mr Pullicino. “Some of the material will be exported to other countries and recycled there. The expense is paid for through funds raised through the eco-contribution system.”

In fact, the minister pointed out that very few tyres are nowadays brought to the site for recycling. “Through the eco-contribution, the tyres are collected by a contractor and exported abroad for recycling. Three materials are extracted: rubber, copper and fluff,” said Mr Pullicino.

“The fluff is exported to China and used to make pillows so you might actually be sleeping on one of your recycled tyres,” joked Mr Pullicino.

At least Lm600,000 was spent on the trucks and containers used in the civic amenity sites, he explained.

Furthermore, the water collected in the site is treated before being reused as it might contain pollutants.

Mr Pullicino urged people to make use of these facilities and to continue separating their waste.

WasteServ is also carrying out regular environmental monitoring including surface emissions, ground water and noise monitoring as part of the aerial emissions project of the Maghtab landfill site.

The sites are open all week between 7.30am and 5.30pm.