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Malta’s commitments with the EU on waste were meant to see the closing down the Magtab and Qortin ‘landfills’ by end 2003, reaching recycling targets by 2005 and 2009 and introducing a new environmentally friendly bottling system by the end of 2007.
The landfill targets have been missed, but perhaps equally worrying is the fact that Malta does not seem to manage to keep up with its own plans and targets.
While Malta boasts a professionally prepared solid waste management strategy as things stand many of the targets in the strategy have not been met, and others are likely to fall by the wayside.
According to the strategy by the end of 2003 Malta was meant to have established a materials recovery facility, upgraded Sant Antnin composting plant. By end 2002 Malta should have introduced a deposit refund system for selected potentially hazardous and recyclable products; reduced or removed any unnecessary barriers to the export of recycled products and recyclable materials; established a waste oils recovery/recycling facility and upgraded the healthcare waste treatment facility at St Luke’s hospital.
None of these have been achieved, and it has been decided that the upgrading of Sant Antnin and the establishment of a materials recovery facility will take place between this year and 2006 when funds will be made available by the EU.
It can probably be argued that any plan should be allowed some flexibility, but with our waste management plans flexibility seems to take on new meanings and environmentalists fear the poor progress could lead to knee-jerk reactions with deleterious environmental and health consequences.
While the strategy timeframe seems to be out of the window a mainstay of it - waste separation - seems to be stuttering before it even started. While a legal notice is in place to ensure that Malta complies with the EU’s packaging directive, no concrete steps have been taken to introduce waste separation in the homes on a national level and no plans have been announced.
The recently introduced Legal Notice on packaging waste decrees that by 1 May “20 percent as a minimum and 65 percent as a maximum by weight of all packaging waste resulting from packaging and packaging material put on the market be recovered.” The Legal Notice also stipulates that “18 percent as a minimum and 45 percent as a maximum by weight of all packaging waste resulting from packaging and packaging material put on the market be recycled with a minimum of 25 percent by weight for glass contained in packaging waste, 27 percent by weight for metals contained in packaging, 5 percent by weight for plastics contained in packaging waste, 25 percent for paper and board contained in packaging waste.
When MaltaToday contacted waste expert Mario Schembri, who is behind the Green Dot initiative to recycle packaging waste. When asked whether Malta was likely to be able to meet the targets set out in the law Schembri replied: “Unlikely. Malta is a late starter and the targets set out for May 1st 2004 will probably not be reached although those set for December 2004 are a possibility.”
Asked about progress with the Green Dot scheme, however, Schembri was more optimistic: “There has been a tremendous interest from various stakeholders including local producers and importers. Numerous meetings have taken place on a one to one basis and also in sectorial groups.
“Both the Malta Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Industry have expressed interest in the scheme and there are strong indications that they will participate in the scheme as well.
“In January, we invited representatives of both these organisations to Brussels for a one and a half day workshop on the subject. It is envisaged that the Green Dot scheme will be up and running during 2004.”
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