There has been some movement on the government’s plan to turn the ex Luqa Landfill into an industrial estate and sports facilities area.
A consultation period for the terms of Reference for an Environment Impact Assessment for the mining of the ex Luqa Landfill has been launched by the Environment and Resources Authority.
The mining will take place in order to lower the existing levels to prepare the site for the extension of an industrial estate and the construction of new sports facilities.
This project was actually mentioned in the 2020 budget, where it was announced that next year public calls for the cleansing of the area, through land mining, would take place. The budget mentions turning the site into a new industrial, sports and recreational zone, without touching virgin land.
The site is located at Luqa Park, Triq Valletta, Luqa.
The project description statement, that was released along with the public consultation reads that the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses has numerous requests for Industrial land which remain unmet due to the unavailability of such land. “One of the few means available to meet this demand is to rehabilitate disused sites for industrial purposes. One such site is the former Luqa dump which covers a footprint of approximately 85,000 sqm within the Marsa Industrial Estate boundaries. “
Malta Industrial Parks Ltd (MIPL) reached the conclusion that the best option was to re-generate the site through a process technically known as ‘landfill mining’. “In essence, landfill mining is a process which sorts, chemically soil washes-down contaminants and recovers secondary raw materials. The most important forms of secondary raw material include scrap, such as usable waste of ferrous, nonferrous materials, precious metals and also limestone (in various forms and sizes). “
“The project aims to regenerate an area of 103,000 square metres which was used as a landfill but today comprises mainly vacant land. This area comprises the footprint of the original dump, circa 18,000 sqm of which have already been rehabilitated and repurposed in other developments, whilst circa 85,000 sqm are still occupied by the waste mass. The regeneration of this ex-landfill is a project that partially addresses the creation of space for industry whereas currently the land is simply a wasteland. The project would also allow for the development of a sports facility and landscaping.”
“The regeneration project will eventually include two other complementary projects for two parcels of land which are contiguous to the application site, ie the Luqa Civic Amenity Site and the site currently occupied by the Easygas Plant. The site currently used as a Civic Amenity Site is operated by Wasteserv Ltd. This site was cleared to some extent when the Civic Amenity site was built but it is not known up till what depth such site clearance was made. Wasteserv Ltd wants to expand the Civic Amenity Site into a multilevel waste reception and sorting complex. In order to carry out such a project, the current Civic Amenity site will be demolished. The subsoil underneath the current Civic Amenity Site will be tested and if found to include traces of waste from the previous landfill, this will be cleaned and treated in a manner similar to landfill mining processes proposed.”
The other project which will complement the main project will be the clearing of the Easygas Site. “This site was converted into an LPG gas cylinder bottling facility some years ago. MIP Ltd intends to relocate the Easygas operation to another site. It is not known to what level the subsoil of this site was cleared. Once this operation is relocated and the site decommissioned, any structures will be demolished and the subsoil tested. If the subsoil is found to include traces of waste from the previous landfill, this will be cleaned and treated in a manner similar to the landfill mining processes proposed.”
In terms of the overall proposal, “multiple advantages are foreseen through a envisaged regeneration approach, especially to aspects related to the immediate upgrade and valuable use of the existing site and the domino effect it should provide, with respect to future guidelines, on how landfills and quarries filled with construction and demolition (C&D) waste are treated in their post-operational period.”
The project description statement also highlights that from market research, the estimated duration of the mining project is 2 years.
“Obtaining of a planning permit for landfill mining is not an end in itself, but a means to regenerate the ex-landfill and rehabilitate the area for beneficial use. The drafting of a Master plan for the area will immediately follow once progress in the permitting stages of the landfill mining application is achieved. Further studies reflecting the uses to be proposed in the Master Plan will probably be required. Other parallel processes will see to the relocation of the LPG Bottling facility and the redevelopment of the Civic Amenity Site by Wasteserv. The latter project will pursue a separate planning permit process.”