Looking at a mountain of rubbish may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but WasteServ are looking to build on the success of last year’s Maghtab open day with another being held this weekend.
Last year, over 500 people attended the open day to be given a tour of the old landfill and see the new procedures being employed at the engineered landfills of Ghallis and Zwejra.
One might find it surprising, but barely two weeks after the announcement of a second open day was made, WasteServ has filled the 500 slots available and is looking at bringing in more minivans to be able to accommodate more visitors. It will be held this coming Saturday.
Communications coordinator Daniela Vella explained: “People will see a difference to last September as they will also be able to see the capping process on the Zwejra landfill and the process of creating new cells within the Ghallis site.”
Ms Vella explained that many of the visitors last time round were students, teachers, residents and members of the public.
“We were surprised at the sheer volume of interest, but that, in itself is positive. It shows that people are taking an interest in what happens to their waste once it is disposed of,” she explained.
Asked what type of questions the WasteServ team has to field, Ms Vella replied: “You have to be very well prepared. You get technical people and laymen and all of them are bristling with weird and wonderful questions.”
However, she conceded that one of the main topics for discussion was the gas extraction procedures at the old and new landfills. Other often posed questions concern the civic amenity sites, waste separation, recycling and construction waste. She pointed out that Wasteserv was also going to put up an exhibition at the landfill to show the proposals submitted to rehabilitate Maghtab. “It is important that people are aware that something is going to be done with the ‘mountain’,” she said.
Ms Vella said the public was taking a great interest in waste management as a whole. “Only this morning, I was on a radio show promoting the weekend, and an elderly man called to say he needed a lift because he wanted to see the site. The next caller said he would pop by for him and take him up. It truly is heartening to see that all sectors of society are taking the threat to our environment seriously,” said Ms Vella.
Ms Vella said that WasteServ was in the process of constructing an administration building at Maghtab. “We expect that it will be ready in the near future and it will also house a visitors’ centre where they can come and learn about what we are doing,” she said.
She also pointed out that WasteServ has engaged the services of 35 formerly unemployed people to go round on house visits to raise awareness about waste management. “It is an EU-funded project and they always make appointments before visiting someone. Last year they managed 20,000 house visits and we are targeting the same number this year,” she said.
She said that the highlights of the visits will be seeing the gas extraction machinery in “old” Maghtab. Another interesting part of the tour is the newly set up Civic Amenity Site (CAS). Ms Vella explained that there was huge response to the opening of this site and said that since January, some 500 cars were disposed of along with white goods, electronics and massive amounts of furniture. Another positive result in this is that the dreaded roadside mattresses are now being disposed of, voluntarily, at the CAS in Maghtab.