It has long been held that the amount of waste generated is influenced by a country’s economic performance as a result of which, high correlation with consumption patterns exists. Decoupling this relationship is identified as a key challenge in securing sustainable production and consumption patterns. 

Waste prevention, which sits at the top of the waste hierarchy, includes measures taken before a substance, material or a product has become waste.  Waste prevention is high on the EU’s waste agenda as it reduces the amount of virgin resources used, the quantity of waste to be collected and treated. It also counteracts against the adverse impacts of the generated waste on the environment and human health. 

Over the past decades and still to the present day, the amount of solid waste in Malta has grown alongside the growth of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as it continues to be driven by consumption. The need to break this link through the adoption of sustainable waste management practices has been highlighted within Malta’s Waste Management Plan, covering the period up until 2020.

The amount of foreign residents working in Malta since the last Census, together with record tourist numbers, have added on to Malta’s per capita waste amounts beyond proportion.  It must be pointed out that data reported for municipal waste includes that arising from commerce, trade and administration, collected and managed together with household municipal waste. 

Thus, such statistics can be misleading and do not give us the real picture when we compare our situation with that of other member states.  Whilst the effects of a growing economy have increased absolute waste volumes generated, the per capita equivalent may be somewhat overestimated and, to a certain degree more alarming than necessary. Hence, our economic outperformance has once again cast an unjust shadow on its environment credentials.

 Government has been and will continue to remain committed in intensifying its efforts to reduce the generation of waste, thereby increasing source separation in order to maximise the circulation and recycling of our resources in line with the circularity principle. Societal commitment is necessary in order to make a lifestyle change which commits us to more environmentally responsible behaviour. If we fail in this regards, we will only have ourselves to blame. From this arises the need to commit ourselves to preventing the generation of avoidable waste.

 Government continues to intensify its efforts in educational and awareness raising campaigns, such as ‘Don’t waste waste’. This campaign was launched in 2016 with the aim of providing the public with more information about the importance of waste management and to give more visibility to waste prevention, separation and recycling. Shortly however we will be introducing a stronger regulatory and enforcement legal framework. In addition, the Government has now also announced an investment of the considerable sum of around €150 million for a waste to energy facility and will also be introducing a deposit refund scheme on beverage containers in an effort to manage waste more sustainably. 

 All this does not signify that we may be permitted to generate as much waste as we desire, far from it.  There is a limit to everything and the availability of land for waste management facilities is perhaps the most restringing factor of all. Our Government simply cannot overcome all problems revolving around waste management on its own and hence the efforts of each and every one of us is essential for our country to overcome the challenges we have with dealing with our waste management issues.

José Herrera is Minister for  the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change