Wasteserv blames lack of waste separation for Magħtab plastic blown away by gale force winds

WasteServ insisted that inadequate waste separation by the public was the reason behind the sheer amount of plastic debris, which ended up scatterred around the landfill area in Magħtab.

Plastic waste from the landfill was blown all across the garigue areas leading to the sea along the Coast Road after Malta was hit by Force 8 South-Southeast winds on Thursday. The wind reached gale force speeds at times.

The Meteorological Office issued an orange warning, valid until Thursday at 7:30pm, calling on the public to exert caution in exposed areas.

WasteServ told MaltaToday that the winds intensified problems it faces due to unseparated waste that ends up in the landfill.

“The gale force wind that has hit the Maltese Islands has intensified a big problem that WasteServ continues to face when users fail to separate waste at source. Because large quantities of plastic are still dumped in black bags, they eventually end up at the landfill,” a spokesperson for WasteServ said.

WasteServ explained that all efforts would be undertaken to clean up the area. It said talks are underway with the Cleansing and Maintenance Division to clean up the area around Magħtab, in a joint operation with WasteServ employees.

The spokesperson said WasteServ implements a number of mitigation measures to avoid waste spillage, including the installation of specialised nets along the perimeter of the landfill, which capture materials.

Moreover, it said the incoming waste was covered with a special layer of non-dispersible material to prevent it from getting blown away and to minimise the smell.

WasteServ also said that daily, unpaved roads across the landfill are soaked to limit dust dispersion and mechanical sweepers cleanse the internal network.

Plastic debris ended up scattered all around the landfill area in Maghtab (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

It said that although it was continuously investing in more resources, it said that when excessive winds occurred, the dispersal of light debris was “physically unavoidable”. It added that the items flying out were mainly materials which were easily recycled, like plastic, and said they did not pose specific dangers to the public.

“WasteServ however cannot stress enough the importance for the public to separate their waste rather than disposing of such recyclable material in the black bag. This would allow WasteServ to process such recyclable waste and turning into a resource, rather than ending up in the landfill creating all these associated problems,” WasteServ said.

“What’s happening today is one of the primary reasons that WasteServ is constantly engaging in educational campaigns to continue promoting waste separation. In fact, WasteServ is currently engaged in a large-scale campaign on the matter – Separate right, make our future bright.”

Ironically, Friday is Earth Day, a yearly event taking place on 22 April in support of environmental protection.