WATCH | People do not trust the experts on Magħtab incinerator - Naxxar Mayor

Naxxar Mayor Christopher Deguara called for consultation with the Naxxar Local Council in the new Magħtab incinerator issue. 

He was interviewed on Xtra on TVM hosted by Saviour Balzan.

Deguara noted how residents were very worried and did not trust what the experts were saying that the incinerator was safe and clean technology, given the history of the Magħtab area.

He said the council was aware of these trust issues and was working to address them. 

“There is a lack of communication with the residents,” he emphasised. The mayor said he wished the council had been more involved in the project before and during the planning.

Asked about the rehabilitation of Magħtab, he believed this could not be fully achieved as certain problems could not be eradicated but only mitigated. He suggested that Naxxar should be awarded some compensation for having waste incineration in its territory.

Reaching milestones in waste management

Interviewed after Deguara, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Regeneration of the Grand Harbour Miriam Dalli said Malta has been making big improvements in the area of waste management.

She said that when the Labour administration was elected in 2013, they faced huge problems in the waste management sector.

Dalli referred to statistics such as the mixed waste, known as “black bag” waste, which had been reduced by 35%, and the recycling of glass which has doubled from 2015.

On the incinerator issue, the minister reiterated the benefits of the incinerator, saying that Wasteserv has technology that goes beyond the EU standard, technology which reduces inconveniences faced by residents and leaves no toxic discharge.