Former Minister and Mellieħa resident Clayton Bartolo has expressed strong concerns regarding a recently launched process by Riżorsi Agrikoli Malta to develop a National Agricultural Waste Treatment Facility in the Qammieħ area, near the Water Services Corporation plant.
Spanning 19,000 square metres, the massive facility is projected to process between 300,000 and 350,000 tonnes of manure and agricultural waste annually, translating to roughly 1,000 tonnes daily, he said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Bartolo emphasised that this is far from an ordinary administrative decision, warning that it will impact Mellieħa for decades and directly affect traffic, air quality, the environment, tourism, local businesses, and residents' quality of life. He noted that he and the community learned about the multi-million project by chance through an online article rather than formal consultation.
Highlighting a series of unanswered questions, Bartolo is demanding clarity on why a national facility of this scale was chosen for Mellieħa, whether alternative sites were evaluated and discarded, and whether agricultural land will be consumed just as it was for the nearby sewage plant extension.
He also questioned the severe logistical footprint, pointing to projections of over 150 additional daily truck trips through areas like Xemxija or Manikata, and asked if Transport Malta has assessed the resulting gridlock during peak summer months or how emergency accessibility will be maintained.
Further concerns were raised regarding potential environmental contamination affecting soil, groundwater, and the nearby Mellieħa Bay -Malta's largest sandy beach and a critical tourism asset. Bartolo asked whether the Malta Tourism Authority, local operators, and the Mellieħa Local Council had been adequately consulted, and urged fellow district MPs and ministers to clarify their stance.
While acknowledging Malta's need for modern and sustainable waste solutions, Bartolo concluded that the residents of Mellieħa deserve genuine consultation, transparency, and respect rather than a fait accompli that compromises their locality for a generation.