Recent reports have pointed out the inadequacy of waste separation and collection in Malta, some years after the introduction of them to this country.

In particular, for instance, it has been pointed out that the Sant’Antnin plant at Marsascala is operating at well below its potential.

That plant has always been somewhat problematic. In its early stages noxious fumes had enraged the neighbouring community. Then it was corrected and yet it is still operating below potential.

One reason has been claimed: the famous distinction between black and grey waste streams has become a joke. We can see that all around us.

There are councils that collect the grey bags once a week; others collect them twice a week.

But on the other days, that is the black bag days, anything is thrown in and no one seems to bother. Things that should go in the grey bags are thrown in the black bags and, being black, no one seems to know what is thrown there.

The emphasis is upside down. The grey bags should take inert material such as plastics, tin etc. The black bags should take biodegradable materials.

In other words, in a normal household, the black bag should be the exception, not the rule. Most of a household’s ordinary waste should go into the grey bags.

In other countries, waste collection is done along very different lines. It is true there are significant differences between other countries and our own: for instance, our houses and especially apartments just do not have the space that houses abroad have and so our houses do not have the ability to compost their biodegradable waste. Another difference is that waste collection abroad is not done on a daily basis as is done here.

Whatever, there are many reasons for a new impetus to persuade the population in general about the advantages of waste separation and gradual steps must be taken to reinforce the rules about waste separation. Ultimately, unless we go to the extent of examining each bag one by one, there is not much that can be done to reinforce the rules, but at the same time we must realize Malta is on the lower level of waste separation on a European level.

This complicates the process that comes from this, that is waste disposal. Since our waste collection is so skewed amid the general complacency of all, we need more and more space for waste disposal, space we cannot really afford, entailing more and more expenses.

Finally, it is now time to undertake a general review of the whole process.