A new phase started being implemented at Tal-Qortin landfill in Gozo, where the contouring of the land is being carried out so that the area will be sealed and reinforced with a mix of clay and stone, WasteServ said yesterday.

This means that inert waste is being temporarily accepted on a small scale at Tal-Qortin in order to address these needs.

No construction waste has been deposited at the landfill since 2003 and no waste at all since April 2004, following Malta’s accession of the European Union. It started being used as a transfer station for domestic waste to be sent to Malta. Another area was also being used to temporarily store recycled waste collected from bring-in sites, before this is also taken to Malta.

Rehabilitation works are now in hand at the site, so that environmental measures can be taken to ensure that the site is rehabilitated as public land, as well as to enhance the quality of the air in the surrounding area. In the first phase, tons of waste were relocated in order to stabilise the waste mountain. Tests were also carried out, to ensure that no hazardous gases were being emitted into the air.

The layer of material being laid out on the waste is not contaminated, WasteServ said. The layer is necessary so that the mountain’s contamination does not spread out – the dust will not be blown away by the wind or carried away by rainwater.

WasteServ said it was holding discussions with the Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry to start talks with the Gozo Ministry, to discuss proposals on how the site should be developed. It said a consultation process would be launched before any designs are chosen.