Businesses slam 2,000% increase in waste disposal fees
Gerald Fenech
As from April 1, the price of disposing of a tonne of non-biodegradable waste at landfills has risen from a mere 91c to €20 – an astonishing 2,197% hike, which will surely affect the way we look at waste from now on.
The Legal Notice was introduced arbitrarily: at least according to the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), which states that there is no infrastructure at the Zwejra Landfill to justify this astronomical increase in fees.
For the moment, government agency Wasteserv will bear the brunt of the fee increase, but it is only a matter of time before refuse operators will pass on the charge to the consumer.
Speaking to Malta Today, GRTU director-general Vince Farrugia said that a meeting was held yesterday to attempt to iron out several issues, including the proper installation of weighting equipment at the landfill which was completely lacking at present.
“I can understand that the government wants to encourage waste separation but introducing a legal notice arbitrarily and without any consultation with operators is tantamount to riding roughshod,” he said. “The astronomical increase in fees will definitely have a detrimental effect on the waste operators who will be left with no option but to pass charges onto the consumer when Wasteserv decides to stop paying the relevant fees.”
Farrugia said that several of the chamber’s members, especially hotels and large catering establishments, were worried that they would not be able to absorb this extra cost when it comes into force. He insisted that ongoing discussions were focusing on other issues such as the installation of proper weighting equipment at Ta’ Zwejra’.
“How can one decided to charge a hefty fee per tonne, when there is no proper weighting equipment installed at the landfill? Funds should be diverted for this cause as there is a crying need for such facilities to be made available very soon”.
On the other hand left wing think thank Zminijietna applauded government’s decision to raise waste disposal tariffs as these “actively encourage the polluter pays principle”. However it did criticize government for using the Eco-tax regime as a ‘revenue tool’ and urged the educational aspect of the said tax to be applied also.
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