Turning waste into a resource – Richard Bilocca

If you are reading this piece, most probably it’s because you’re concerned by the scenes we saw last Thursday at the Għallis landfill, as the gale force winds blew plastic into the garigue and the adjacent Magħtab coast.

I was on-site, looking on as our workers battled relentlessly, and in vain, to try and prevent debris from flying over the confines of the landfill, not because WasteServ doesn’t have preventative measures in place but because our workers cannot battle the impossible.

Naturally, the public – us included – were unhappy with the scenes. Not only should plastic not be dispersed into the environment but having plastic debris flying all over the place is unacceptable. It’s time for a collective reality check to understand that this is our collective problem. The waste that ends up at the Għallis landfill is the rubbish we are all generating.

Our country’s target is to recycle at least 55 per cent of household waste by 2025 and 65 per cent by 2035. Last year, WasteServ processed triple the amount of recyclables, including plastic. Even though this is positive news – testament to the efforts that have been put in – it is not enough.

The country is tackling a major...