Blamed for causing unbearable stench, Marsa incinerator to get emissions filters at last

Wasteserv will be installing an emissions filtering system at its incinerator in Marsa, removing a principle source of foul smells in the region.

Paola Mayor Dominic Grima welcomed the €4 million investment, adding the equipment was on its way and will be in place by the end of the year.

The development comes after the Environment and Resources Authority said it was investigating persistent complaints of foul smells in the Lourdes neighbourhood of Paola.

Residents have described the smells as that of “dead bodies and rotten cheese” with many blaming the incineration of abattoir waste in Marsa.

The Wasteserv incinerator in Marsa opened in 2007 and is used to burn animal and clinical waste. It is a primary source of foul smells that permeate in the area but there has never been official confirmation of this. And two years ago, ERA had already said it was investigating the foul smells.

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In a Facebook post, Grima said the council had been in contact with Wasteserv for the past couple of years to find a solution to the matter. The Marsa incinerator will eventually close down when the Ecohive project in Magħtab is completed but this is still some way off.

“This project will drastically improve the quality of our air and our lives, especially those who live in the Lourdes area,” Grima said, thanking Wasteserv CEO Richard Bilocca and ministers Aaron Farrugia and Miriam Dalli, the previous and current environment ministers.

The mayor said Wasteserv has informed him that the air scrubbing equipment will start being installed over the coming weeks and will be operational by the end of the year.