The alarming scale of misinformation spread about the proposed Thermal Treatment Facility at Magħtab has prompted WasteServ to refer the matter to the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, the agency said Monday.

WasteServ said in a statement that the €500 million investment in the ECOHIVE Project is intended to transition Malta to a fully circular economy, as part of its objectives to rid Malta of its reliance on landfills and the tremendous negative impacts associated with them.

Instead of consulting readily available documents for evidence-based knowledge, "MEP Peter Agius and MP Claudette Buttigieg have chosen to spread fear and deceptive assertions, falsely claiming that WasteServ's new facilities would negatively impact thousands of people within a six kilometre radius," Wasteserv said.

"WasteServ focuses all its energy exclusively on delivering its mission and does not usually react to political discourse. However, the scale of misinformation being spread necessitated a departure from our longstanding policy and we have referred the matter to the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life for any appropriate action he deems fit," WasteServ said in a statement

"The grossly irresponsible claims being made about this national project are creating unnecessary alarm and contributing to unwarranted anxiety among residents of neighbouring localities, ultimately affecting their quality of life and wellbeing. This was something the Company could no longer ignore and the record must be set straight." It added.

False statements have described the facility and the ECOHIVE Complex as "a cancer factory", "greenwashing", with the allegation that no proper studies were carried out. WasteServ stated that such statements could be no further from the truth. Studies presented to the public also demonstrate clearly that the required studies were carried out, including on the impact of other plants.

"We welcome scrutiny. What we reject is the spread of misinformation that erodes public understanding and increases anxiety among residents who deserve facts, not fear," WasteServ said.

WasteServ added that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the waste-to-energy plant had already concluded that the facility would deliver net environmental benefits. So had the EIA for the organic processing plant.

The EIA process for the Thermal Treatment Facility was now nearing its conclusion and the detailed analysis carried out by independent international experts is already giving steadfast assurances on air quality.

In line with regulatory requirements, a comprehensive EIA for the ECOHIVE Thermal Treatment Facility, a project announced back in 2020, was carried out and presented to the public during a dedicated public hearing on April 23, 2025. This assessment thoroughly evaluated all potential impacts in accordance with applicable legislation and the findings confirm the facility will incorporate Best Available Technology (BAT). Additionally, it will not negatively impact air quality, even when assessed in conjunction with the adjacent Waste-to-Energy Plant.

PN replies

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said that instead of doing his job and addressing the community's concerns about how the Thermal Treatment Facility could affect their health, the Prime Minister dodged the issue by shifting the responsibility onto Wasteserv and referring the matter for investigation by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.

This further erodes Robert Abela's credibility, and that of his Government, when it comes to environmental protection, the PN said.

All residents wanted was for Minister Miriam Dalli to respond to their legitimate questions about emissions from the proposed incinerator at Magħtab. Instead, the responsible Minister washed her hands of the issue and passed it on to Wasteserv, which is now attempting to haul Nationalist MEP Peter Agius and PN MP Claudette Buttigieg before the Standards Commissioner because they are raising the residents' questions that the Government is refusing to answer.

Meanwhile, the questions submitted in writing to ERA, and raised publicly during a protest at Magħtab, remain unanswered. Residents have received neither clarity nor the peace of mind that their health will be safeguarded.

Questions raised on behalf of residents about how the Government plans to avoid dioxins and harmful nanoparticles from entering their lungs were vaguely dismissed with vague assurances of "best available technologies and compliance with European standards."

But this is a Government that is already breaching European standards across the board: from raw sewage being dumped into the sea, to air quality, to its obligation to give NGOs the right to challenge environmental projects in court, the PN said. Such a Government cannot be trusted to meet environmental standards when it comes to incineration.

The government's credibility on this project continues to crumble, especially as it has failed to publish a comprehensive study on the entire complex of plants and incinerators, choosing instead to present the project in piecemeal fashion, avoiding scrutiny of the full environmental impact.

This government is facing a full-blown environmental credibility crisis, the PN said. That's why residents in Magħtab and across surrounding localities including Naxxar, St Paul's Bay, Mosta, Għargħur, Lija, Attard, Balzan, Iklin, Birkirkara, San Ġwann, Msida, Swieqi, Pembroke, St Julian's, Sliema, Gżira, Rabat and Mġarr; are rightly worried and alarmed.

PL reacts

The Nationalist Party has an inflated sense of pretention and thinks that they can distort facts and lie on others, the PL said in reaction.

The PN has now decided to launch a misinformation campaign about the Thermal Treatment Facility to spread fear and lies to the residents within its vicinity, the PL said.

The PN's lies on this matter have been exposed thanks not only to published studies by experts but also by the inconsistency in statements made by the PN itself.

A simple analysis of the independent media reportage on this matter exposes the PN's lies. A fact checker exposed the Nationalist Party's deception about a national project, which is an integral part of the solution for the management of non-recyclable waste. A project having the latest technology, safe and about which experts have demonstrated that there are none of effects that the PN is claiming, the PL said.

A divided Nationalist Party chooses to scare people, spread misinformation, and manipulate expert studies, the PL said.