Government will help developers invest in reconstituted stone in bid to avoid construction waste

The government will incentivise developers to invest in reconstituted stone so that construction waste from excavated material is recycled in a bid to avoid dumping charges.

"The increase in property prices due to excessive increase in dumping charges could be well neutralizing the assistance given to our young families through the first and second-time buyers reduced tax schemes. Besides, one must remark that the natural limestone extracted from our quarries is a finite resource and is reaching its end," Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said.

Schembri added that such a measure would simultaneously help the economy and the environment. The government is suggesting three policy measures so that the construction industry invests in manufacturing plants that aim to recycle construction waste, including excavated material.

The first measure is the government's provision of resources so that the concept of reconstituted stone is developed further. The second is to help the industry commercialise the concept of the product through investment assistance schemes. The third is to incentivise those developers who recycle their own construction waste and use reconstituted stone in their projects.

The project is funded by Malta Industrial Parks and was announced on Monday at St Paul's Bay at a business breakfast organised by Malta Industrial Parks. 

"The commercialisation of reconstituted stone will mean the creation of a new, more efficient and more sustainable building resource, it will give new value to construction waste and it will lessen property development costs. It will also result in a drastic reduction in the need to dump construction waste in landfills," Schembri said.

Reconstituted stone, a project researched by the University of Malta and supported by Malta Industrial Parks could be an alternative to limestone, bricks and concrete

Addressing the conference, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said that while it is important to maintain the country’s positive economic performance, development needs to be sustainable, and needs to give due regard to social wellbeing and environmental protection.

“The need to transition towards a circular economy is partly motivated by the concern that natural resources, such as land and stone, are finite, and need to remain in the economic cycle for the longest time possible. Such a transition should not be seen as a barrier to growth — on the contrary, it should be seen as a catalyst for innovation, new business niches, and more green jobs,” he said.

Farrugia stressed the importance of such a transition within one of Malta’s most important economic sectors: construction, and that to this end, the draft strategy on Construction and Demolition waste, for which a public consultation was launched, was closed a couple of weeks ago.

Farrugia insisted that while land reclamation has been seen as the be-all and end-all of the construction waste crisis, it is not the "panacea that those advocating this route portray it to be.

"Whilst we have never excluded this course of action, we need to pursue this in a climate of sustainability where our economic, social and environmental goals are maximised."