Plastic waste processed by Wasteserv trebled in first weeks of the year

Wasteserv reacts to damning NAO report on Malta’s recycling efforts, says recommendations are being implemented and plastic waste recycling has improved tremendously since 2019

4 February 2021, 10:34am
by Kurt Sansone

2 min read

A daily average of four tonnes of plastic waste was processed by Wasteserv in the first weeks of 2021

Plastic waste processed by Wasteserv has trebled in the first weeks of 2021, with a daily average of more than four tonnes, the government agency said.

The improved performance comes on the back of a significant 78% increase in the sale of recyclables last year.

Wasteserv was reacting to a National Audit Office report tabled in parliament on Monday that found inadequate waste separation at source was leading to recyclable waste being dumped in landfills. The NAO report gave a snapshot of the recycling sector in 2019.

The government agency said Malta’s recycling performance was severely affected when fires destroyed the Sant’Antnin Recycling Facility in Marsaskala in 2017. It added the negative trend has since been reversed.

“Wasteserv takes full note of the NAO report… The report outlines a number of recommendations including the introduction of the polluter pays principle, the need for strategic investments, and the rationalisation of current packaging waste scheme agreements, all of which are now included in the Long-Term Waste Management Plan 2021 – 2030,” the agency said.

It noted that the issues outlined by the NAO were “already clearly visible even before the audit”, allowing the agency to be proactive.

“WasteServ can confirm that the implementation of most of the NAO’s suggestions are already in full swing,” it said.

The agency last year unveiled plans for new waste management infrastructure that would total €500 million that will include a fully-fledged material recovery facility, which Wasteserv said would allow Malta to reach its recycling targets.

Wasteserv CEO Richard Bilocca said Wasteserv was fully cognizant of the situation. “Wasteserv is working day and night to improve Malta’s performance and these efforts are already resulting in impressive results, with a 78% increase in 2020, with a further threefold improvement in the first weeks of 2021,” he said.

Kurt Sansone is Executive Editor of MaltaToday. He was formerly deputy editor of MaltaTod...