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Julian Manduca
A spokesperson for the environment ministry has told MaltaToday that “generally speaking” the implementation of Malta’s Waste Management Strategy “has found little support from stakeholders and each initiative turned very emotional.”
When asked to clarify whether it was NGOs, the business community or the public that was not giving enough support, the curt reply was “all.”
MaltaToday contacted the Federation of Industry and environment NGO Friends of Earth for their comments.
The chairman of the Federation of Industry environment committee, Godwin C Micallef told MaltaToday that the FOI has had its differences with WasteServ, “but this does not amount to a lack of cooperation on our part. Obviously FOI has the interests of its members to consider.
“We did have problems when WasteServ was pushing to compete with our members on the export of waste, because there was no level playing field. Also there were times when we were asked for information that WasteServ could have more easily obtained from government departments. But it was never a matter of FOI not wanting to participate. I must add that we have not been involved in the recently set up strategy committee that has been asked to review the strategy.”
Friends of the Earth coordinator Martin Galea de Giovanni was surprised by the ministry’s statement.
“FOE Malta was involved in the consultation stage and made its valid contribution to the strategy, but since then we have rarely been consulted. In the past we used to receive updates on the strategy from WasteServ, albeit late, but these have now stopped.
“Since the strategy was completed we feel we have been left out and are now worried that much that what was good in it will be changed by the newly appointed strategy committee on which NGOs are not represented.
“We feel it is very unfair of the ministry to blame stakeholders when WasteServ is duty bound to consult with all stakeholders on an ongoing basis and fails to do so.”
The Ministry’s spokesperson was replying to questions put by this newspaper as to whether the targets outlined in the EU funded strategy have been kept.
“The Strategy is an overwhelming task that requires extraordinary investment. I am glad that this government has allocated a record budget for waste and that now EU funding is forthcoming.
“Although there seemed to be an agreement on many of the tasks at strategy level, individually the projects are interpreted out of context. Sant Antnin is a case in point with stakeholders still interpreting that all the waste will be treated there despite the other initiatives in the strategy.
“Another issue is waste separation, people still expect waste separation to solve all of our problems when in actual fact, unless Sant Antnin is upgraded, there is little scope to extend this initiative.”
Strategy off-target
The Environment Ministry was not in a position to indicate which deadlines and targets in Malta’s Waste Management Strategy have been met and some clearly have not.
While intimating that WasteServ, the company responsible for the implementation of the strategy has found little support, a ministry spokesperson said “the commitments have as yet been kept,” and that this “is also thanks to all those who contributed in some form or other.”
However, among the most striking of the missed deadlines in Malta’s national strategy are the closure of all non-compliant incinerators, which was supposed to happen by the end of 2003, as well as the setting up of a refund deposit system for potentially hazardous and or recyclable materials, which should have been achieved by end 2002.
The list of missed deadlines continues with the: removal of unnecessary economic or other barriers to the export if recycled products and recyclable materials, the deadline for which was end 2002 and the introduction of source segregation and separate collection of recyclable including biodegradable materials from municipal solid waste which should have been done by end 2004.
Also on the list is the contentious upgrading of the Sant Antnin Plant which was meant to be ready by 2003; the upgrade of the slaughterhouse waste treatment facility, also by end 2003, and the upgrade of the St Luke’s waste treatment facility which was planned to be completed by 2002.
Besides the St Luke’s incinerator Malta still operates other non-compliant ones at the Marsa abattoir and at the Malta International Airport. There is yet another incinerator which, according to Malta’s waste management strategy, comes close to compliance at the Gozo abattoir. .
When asked about the deadlines the environment ministry limited itself to saying that the recently appointed strategy committee is to finalise a situation audit which will highlight progress to date and should be available in the public domain towards the end of thise month or the beginning of the next.
Much of Malta’s strategy will depend on successful waste separation at source. MaltaToday is informed that only one of WasteServ’s employees is working specifically on the issue.
When asked what resources have been allocated to waste separation, the ministry spokesperson said that at implementation level, there are two projects secured under EU funding to continue help provide the necessary resources for this initiative.
“Additionally, all of WasteServ and MEPA employees are, in one way or another, engaged with waste separation, including education, separation of hazardous waste and inert waste, funding, bring-in sites, civic amenity sites. It will all come to a head at the end.”
julian@newsworksltd.com
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