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Toxic shame revealed
In the
present scenario the department recommends the export of such waste
–Environment chief, Vince Gauci
By
Kurt Sansone
Tonnes of chemicals used by various Maltese industries annually
end up in the sea or else at Maghtab where they seep into the ground.
This is the shameful situation of a country that has no official
policy on how to dispose of its toxic waste.
For years, chemicals produced by laboratories, clothes companies,
food-processing plants, pharmaceutical companies and a host of other
industries, have been flushed down the sewage system or else dumped
at Maghtab. In some cases liquid toxic waste has evaporated naturally
in skips and tanks filled with sand.
Asked by MaltaToday, the Director of the Environment Protection
Department, Vince Gauci, said that Malta has no official policy
on toxic waste disposal as yet.
Mr Gauci said that the waste management strategy being formulated
will serve as a blueprint for handling all types of waste, including
toxic waste.
"In the present scenario the department recommends the export
of such waste," Mr Gauci said. However, he continued: "In
other cases we recommend discharge into the sewage system after
the waste has been treated."
Mr Gauci stressed that any industry wanting to dispose of its waste
in the sewage system must first obtain permission from the drainage
department.
However, sources close to industry told MaltaToday that numerous
companies simply discharge their chemical waste down the drainage
system without the necessary permits and without knowing what type
of waste it is.
Mr Gauci confirmed that most of the waste ends up dumped at Maghtab
along with other domestic and construction waste.
Turning to the evaporation method Mr Gauci said that the authorities
do not recommend evaporation, but added that it depends on the quantities
and type of liquid toxic substances being evaporated.
MaltaToday has learnt that evaporation is commonly used by pharmaceutical
companies as well as the university.
MaltaToday talked to various operators in the industry and they
all agreed that with no official guidelines and waste disposal methods
anybody can do what he deems fit. They stressed that exporting toxic
waste is not financially viable unless a concerted national effort
is done. However, Mr Gauci stressed that industry has to be ultimately
responsible for the waste it generates.
Greenpeace estimates that toxic waste makes up 6.3% of the total
waste generated on the islands. Currently, 4,000 tonnes of chemical
substances are being dumped into the sewage system, which flows
directly into the Mediterranean sea.
Greenpeace’s Communications Director, Caroline Muscat, told
MaltaToday that nobody knows who is producing what and where it
is being dumped.
"Unregulated dumping at Maghtab has turned the dumpsite into
a toxic time bomb," she said.
Ms Muscat explained that Greenpeace was demanding an in-depth scientific
investigation that will determine the type and extent of contamination
at Maghtab.
She also pointed out that the costs for dumping at Maghtab were
ridiculous and did not reflect the hazards caused by the waste to
public health and the environment.
"Greenpeace insists that hazardous substances must be phased
out and vehemently opposes incineration," she said. "In
a recent report, Greenpeace stressed that incineration would create
greater health and environmental risks especially because of Malta’s
small size." |
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