Government to assess feasibility of exporting waste

The government is not excluding incineration as one of its long-term solutions to the waste problem, though it intends to carry out a study on the feasibility of exporting waste to be incinerated abroad before taking a final decision, MaltaToday has learned.

It also emerges that although incineration was on the agenda of the previous government for years, studies had not been finalised by the last general election, to the extent that a tender on technical assistance on the development of a waste to energy facility was shelved on the eve of the election.

The current government is in the process of undertaking two cost-benefit analysis studies – one on waste-to-energy in Malta as well as on the exportation of waste to third countries given the spare capacity many incineration plants in Europe have, and their excessive demand for waste imports from various other European countries – something which is reported to be leading to reduced fees being charged.

Botched tender

A tender for technical assistance on the development of a waste-to-energy facility planned by the previous government was shelved on 8 March 2013 – two days before the election.

MaltaToday is informed that there were three main bidders, but the evaluation committee concluded that no qualitatively or financially worthwhile tender had been received. In view of this, all bids were deemed non-compliant.

In the first draft of the waste management plan issued in 2009, an incineration plant was proposed in Marsaxlokk close to the power station. But subsequently the government postponed the decision and indicated that a site had still to be chosen.

Despite this standing commitment in favour of incineration, studies were still being conducted.

Recently speaking on TVM, Nationalist MP Charlò Bonnici claimed that the government was just playing for time on this issue.

Although there have been improvements to incineration technologies which reduce emissions, incinerators need a large, fixed supply of waste to operate, and are built to run for many years thus creating a massive demand for waste for many decades. Environmentalists are generally concerned that incinerators discourage efforts to increase recycling and waste prevention and investment in other waste treatment alternatives such as composting. 

Incineration was first considered by a committee appointed by former resources minister George Pullicino.

In 2009, a waste incinerator was proposed in the government’s waste strategy. The Labour led council had opposed these plans. The issue of incineration was not addressed in the recently-approved waste management plan.

The government is already undertaking a study to either identify the site of a new landfill or to prolong the life of the existing landfill.