Private vehicles allowed unlimited entry into civic amenity sites

Wasteserv has introduced the civic amenity sites reform, meant to curtail abuse from irresponsible commercial operators.

Civic Amenity sites are intended to provide a free service to households where they can dispose of their domestic bulky and hazardous waste, however, the current system was being used freely without any form of control by private contractors and commercial entities who have alternative means of disposing their waste.

“This essentially meant that the commercial sector was dumping its waste on Government infrastructure, circumventing gate fees and increasing costs on tax payers’ money. Thus, sites that were originally designed to provide a service to households were under severe stress due to operating beyond their capacity,” a Wasteserv statement reads.

According to Wasteserv, the reform makes it clearer to distinguish between domestic and commercial waste, based on the vehicle that the waste is being transported in.

“Private vehicles, which by their very nature indicate waste emanating from a private household, are allowed unlimited entry. For those households that only have a small commercial vehicle, the reform still provides an opportunity to utilise the vehicle at a CA site 18 times a year,” the statement points out.

It adds that the allowance coupled with the free bulky service provided by the local councils should suffice household needs.

“There is also a one time permit issued for the use of large vehicles to allow for exceptional circumstances, and alternative methods for disposing of commercial waste are still provided for through other channels.”

Environment minister Jose Herrera said that this whole exercise is intended to instil discipline in waste management, which has so far gone relatively unchecked.

Herrera made reference to the difficult EU waste targets, where Malta is still lagging behind and added that the island’s only landfill is under extreme pressure, making measures to reduce waste through better recycling essential.

“The company believes that this is an important step in addressing the sector and will be receptive of issues encountered by the public to enhance the service.”

For any information, the public is encouraged to contact the Waste Acceptance Unit on Freephone 8007 2200 or email: [email protected]