As from the beginning of 2023, WasteServ will be increasing the gate fees for waste which is not separated, WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca said
The revised gate fees are a green measure in order to discourage the dumping of waste which is not separated while also improving the statistics of Malta when it comes to reaching European levels.
Bilocca said that Malta last year recycled only 15% of its waste. “There is a clear proportional rate between the low gate fees and the low recycling rates,” he told journalists.
Bilocca also referred to another harrowing statistic which states that “90% of the waste last year ended up in the Ghallies land fill site. In accordance to Europe we have to reduce that statistic drastically and fast.”
The issue of door-to-door collection was also discussed and Bilocca confirmed that the service of waste collection from homes will remain free. This also applies for bulky refuse and other services offered by the company.
“Recycling will be cheaper from January. Mixed waste will now cost €20 per tonne, increasing by €20 a year to a maximum of €120. Recycled waste and organic waste on the other hand have a fixed rate of €0.50 and €20 respectively.”
These gate fees are mainly targeted at the commercial sector who alone are responsible for around 40% of the total waste which is not separated.
Before this revision, business including restaurants, hotels and others were not incentivised to separate their waste but “now businesses who do not separate will be paying €40 per tonne of waste next year rather than the fixed rate of €20,” Bilocca explained.
Last summer, WasteServ tested out the theory with a pilot project in specific commercial areas where organic waste collection of restaurants was given for free and around 13 tonnes a week was collected.
Bilocca said that “we put the recycling and organic waste prices ridiculously low in order to stimulate the market and promote the use of recycling as much as possible.”
“The current strategy is a failing one as we are charging ver low prices and the instance waste enters our facility, we are losing money. As an example we were charging €0.20 for something which cost 1€ to dispose of.”
Bilocca affirmed that Wasteserve is not a revenue generating company and they are charging market prices without profit.
The new gate fees also include new fees for differentiated waste such as wood, flat glass, textiles and so on. These will be taken to separate facilities in order for them to be sold and reused according rather than ending up in a landfill.
Last year alone 19,000 tonnes of recyclable waste was sold from Malta.
Bilocca also stated that with better separation, more green energy can be generated. Currently through organic waste, 5% of the electricity generated comes from that waste. Organic waste also contributes towards compost.
In a final plea, Bilocca called for better recycling and also speculated on the possibility of introducing mandatory recycling for everyone in Malta.