Palumbo toxic waste investigation still ongoing

MEPA’s investigation to determine whether hazardous waste was covered by a layer of concrete in 2012 is still ongoing, five months after enforcement officers collected samples from the site.

In December 2014, a MEPA spokesperson told MaltaToday that the authority had received a laboratory report on the material collected from the site. 

Back than the MEPA spokesperson revealed that the report was being evaluated prior to taking a decision on further enforcement action.

But two months later MEPA is still not in a position to say what action it is going to take on this case, with the MEPA spokesperson saying that the “case is still under investigation”.

In September the authority said in a statement it had started investigating the Palumbo site after it received a tip off that quantities of grit blasting material were buried in the concrete foundations.

From initial investigations it results that grit-blasting waste, which is generated by Palumbo’s operations, had been used in the foundations of the yard and was buried under the concrete flooring. 

MaltaToday is informed that the major issue is to determine whether the waste was deposited in 2012, when the area from where the samples were taken was cemented, or before Palumbo took over operations.

Palumbo has denied dumping any grit from its operations, adding that grit blasting has been used for the past 70 years.

According to the company the area from where MEPA officers took their samples was previously used as a grit blasting and spraying section. The company claims that the area was covered in concrete to create more space for boat storage.