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James Debono
Zebbug and Zurrieq are the only two localities in the Maltese islands refusing the introduction of bring-in sites, claiming they are concerned about Wasteserv’s ability to manage the sites.
The mayors of the two Labour-led councils have insisted they are not against the bring-in sites.
But all other local councils in Malta and Gozo do not share this opinion. In fact 56 Labour and Nationalist-led localities in Malta and Gozo have introduced bring-in sites, where residents can deposit and separate their waste. Twenty-eight of these localities have even applied for additional bring-in sites.
Only 12 localities in Malta and Gozo do not have a bring-in site.
Apart from Zurrieq and Zebbug, the councils who do not have a bring-in site are Luqa, Santa Venera, Senglea, Xghajra, Floriana, Marsa, Hamrun, Gudja, Cospicua and Iklin.
But unlike Zebbug and Zurrieq, these councils have identified a site for the introduction of a bring in site in their locality.
According to WasteServ, Zurrieq and Zebbug are still adamant in refusing the introduction of a bring-in site in their locality, despite WasteServ’s call.
Zurrieq mayor Ignatius Farrugia insists the council will only introduce a bring-in site after a study on the issue is finalised. Back in April, Nationalist councillors Mario Ellul and Melvyn Mangion had presented a motion calling on the council to introduce bring-in sites in Zurrieq. But the Labour majority had insisted bring-in sites will only be introduced if a survey held amongst Zurrieq residents determined that the locality wanted the bring-in sites.
PN councillor Melvyn Mangion described the attitude of the Labour majority as “crap politics.” Mangion said there was no need for any survey or study: “Zurrieq residents can identify metal from paper or glass. Thank God, they were not involved in deciding whether to close Maghtab or not, or where to place an engineered landfill.”
Mayor Farrugia however justified his reluctance to introduce the bring-in sites because of prior experience of skips overflowing with rubbish: “I recently saw a dead rabbit in a bring-in site at Rabat,” Farrugia told MaltaToday.
He has promised to introduce a bring-in site in the coming days following discussions with an as yet unnamed company.
Whilst Zurrieq’s residents have never been given an opportunity to use a bring-in site, a bring-in site in Zebbug was removed by the council last month.
The new mayor of Zebbug, Brian Bonnici, contends the council is not accepting bring-in sites in the locality because it has no confidence in WasteServ: “We are not against waste separation in principle but the bring-in site in Zebbug was not managed well and the site was over-spilling with rubbish and rats were having a field day.”
Bonnici told MaltaToday the council approved a motion to get rid of the site and refuse to have them in the locality. He blamed Labour councillor and former mayor Paula Vella Schiriha for not implementing the council’s motion to scrap the bring-in site.
He also alleges she had been engaged in talks with WasteServ without the prior approval of the council: “when we saw that the mayor was procrastinating we decided to remove the bring-in site.”
Bonnici also said the camera introduced by Wasteserv to monitor the bring-in site, following the council’s decision to remove it, was ineffective as it only managed to show two dogs urinating near the site apart from a couple of people throwing rubbish illegally which could not be identified due to the bad quality of the footage.
Bonnici insisted he is only willing to talk to Wasteserv if it shows some “good will”.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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