Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands 2006-2010 Status: 2009-05-15 WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE MALTESE ISLANDS 2008-2012 CONSULTATION DOCUMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS P. INTRODUCTION 3 1. Background 6 1.1 Malta’s specific circumstances 6 1.2 The Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Maltese Islands, 2001 8 1.3 Obligations arising from Accession to the European Union 14 1.4 International obligations 17 1.5 Existing legislation in Malta 19 1.6 Implementation and enforcement 33 1.7 Institutions and organisations 36 2. Status of waste management in the Maltese Islands 41 2.1 Waste prevention and minimization 41 2.2 Total amount of non-hazardous and hazardous waste 43 2.3 Mayor waste streams (generation, collection, transport, treatment, recycling and recovery, ultimate disposal) 44 2.3.1 Municipal solid waste 45 2.3.2 Industrial waste 52 2.3.3 Construction and demolition waste 54 2.3.4 Waste from agriculture and fishery 56 2.3.5 Waste from port and airport facilities 57 2.3.6 Sewage sludge 59 2.3.7 Clinical waste 59 2.3.8 Waste oil 60 2.3.9 PCB-waste 62 2.3.10 Other 63 2.4 Implementation of the principle of ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ 64 2.4.1 Batteries and accumulators 65 2.4.2 Packaging 67 2.4.3 End-of-Life Vehicles 73 2.4.4 Electrical and electronic equipment 75 2.4.5 Tyres 76 2.5 Dumping of waste at sea 78 2.6 Shipment of waste 80 Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands 2.7 Economy and financing 82 3 Planning procedure 87 3.1 Program to reduce landfilling of biodegradable waste 91 3.2 Objectives for different waste streams and plans for implementation (legislative means, new facilities, organizational structures, economic instruments, international cooperation) 91 3.2.1 Municipal solid waste 93 3.2.2 Industrial waste 98 3.2.3 Construction and demolition waste 101 3.2.4 Waste from agriculture and fishery 103 3.2.5 Waste from port and airport facilities 104 3.2.6 Abattoir waste 105 3.2.7 Sewage sludge 105 3.2.8 Clinical waste 106 3.2.9 Waste oil 108 3.2.10 PCB-waste 109 3.2.11 Packaging waste 110 3.2.12 Waste batteries and accumulators 116 3.2.13 End-of-Life Vehicles 118 3.2.14 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment 119 3.2.15 Other important issues 121 3.2.15.1 Eco contribution 121 3.2.15.2 Charges and fees 123 3.2.15.3 Possibilities for waste incineration 124 3.2.15.4 Implementing the new EC Waste Framework Directive 127 3.3 Cooperation at the EU and international levels 127 3.4 Shipment of waste 128 3.5 Time lines 129 4 Consultation mechanism 131 4.1 Information strategy 131 4.2 Increasing public awareness 134 4.3 Education and training of waste management experts 134 4.4 Creating political support 135 5 Implementation Phase 136 2 Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands INTRODUCTION The Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs has developed this Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands in accordance with the requirements of the relevant regulations of the European Directives on waste management. This activity was a chance to evaluate the existing situation with waste and its management in Malta and to look forward what will or should happen during the next five years. Malta joined the European Union on 1 st May 2004 which created many challenges in many areas, of course also for the management of waste in a small country with a small total population and on islands with a high density of population and relatively far away from the European mainland. As a consequence we had to change many practices and attitudes and try to cope with very many new requirements and regulations which are binding to member states of the European Union. However, this created also many chances to improve the then existing situation and has led to a significantly improved management of wastes, to a much better protection of our environment and the health of our citizen. The accession document in 2004 contained only few exemptions for Malta from then existing EC-regulations on waste management, mainly the extension of several dead lines for coping with implementation of requirements (e.g. packaging, reduction of biodegradable waste from land filling) or keeping existing legal requirements for a defined intermediate period (e.g. restrictions like bringing into circulation certain beverages only in refillable containers or general prohibition on importing waste to Malta). The biggest change was the need of shutting down the existing landfills in Malta and Gozo, which have been far away from coping with the existing technical standards for landfills. This, however, gave opportunity to start remediation of the large waste dump at Maghtab, which will reduce or avoid negative impacts to our environment. Until 2004 the two old waste dumps in Malta and in Gozo have been the only facilities for all arising wastes in Malta and Gozo. It was necessary to make available new and alternative solutions. For that purpose Mata had already developed the first strategy on waste management for the Maltese islands in 2001, which contains the mayor political, legal and technical means for such improvements. Recently (January 2009) the Ministry for 3 Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands Resources and Rural Affairs has published a first update of the Strategy for public consultation. The Waste Management Plan has been developed in accordance with the requirements which are laid down in the European regulations. The two mayor parts of the plan are • the existing situation with waste management in Malta • from the existing deficits measures are described which are intended to be implemented during the next five years (planning phase). In an introducing chapter we have out lined the existing background about legal requirements from European and Maltase law as well as the responsible political bodies, authorities and stakeholders which are responsible for or affected by implementing waste management regulations in Malta. Problems when determining the existing situation in Malta have been the poor availability of precise and actual datas about type and amount of arising wastes. It was necessary to create a task force for data-compilation, consisting of representatives from ministries, authorities, WasteServ Malta, National Statistics Office, Local Councils, associations of trade and industry as well as from significant waste producers and private waste management companies. Results from Twinning projects with Germany and Austria as well as from TAIEX-projects with a German expert have been used to draft this Waste Management Plan. The preparation of this plan was rather time consuming. The original time frame from 2006 until 2010 had to be extended to 2008 until 2012. Current amendments within European regulations and their national transposition have been taken into account. The hierarchy for waste management with first avoidance, then reduction and reuse, recycling, recovery and finally disposal has been taken into account. In addition, remediation of the old landfills is an issue. Since the publications of the first Waste Management Strategy in 2001 significant improvements could be achieved in Malta. Mainly they refer to: • more detailed legal requirements • new separate collections system, e.g. curb side, bring-in sites and civic amenity sites 4 Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands • new facilities for treatment, recycling and disposal of waste • new system for waste control and enforcement • measures to inform and motivate private and commercial waste producers about waste management and rise public awareness. During the next five years significant efforts are necessary to improve our waste management situation significantly and to cope with all European and national legal requirements. This has to take into account our specific difficulties of a small island, of a limited market, our dependence on import for most products, our lack of industries which could be used for recycling wastes, high cost for exporting waste for recycling or deposal and the difficulties to adopt full cost fees and charges for waste management which reflect the arising full costs – without damaging our economical situation. Nevertheless important principals e.g. “Producer-pays Principal” or “Extended Producer Responsibility” will be implemented. For this purpose it will be important to find agreement with mayor stakeholders. The only existing engineered landfill in Malta will reach its capacity boundary in only a few years. Then new technologies for waste management will be needed, which obviously will contain more recycling but also a small facility which recovers energy from waste and thereby avoids landfilling. The contributions of such new technology to protect the world climate and Malta’s contributions to use renewable energies will be taken into account. The implementation of this Waste Management Plan will be evaluated in short periods of one to two years. This will also take into account the enactment and implementation of the new EC Waste Framework Directive of 2008, which will be enacted in Malta until the end of 2010. The political goals laid down in the new update of Malta’s waste strategy (2009) will be used as a further guideline for implementing new systems and facilities for waste management and protecting our environment and the health of our people. 5 Waste Management Plan for the Maltese Islands 1. Background 1.1 Malta’s specific circumstances The Maltese Islands are in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and comprise six islands. The main islands are Malta, Gozo and Comino. The three main islands are inhabited, while Filfa, Cominotto and St.Paul’s Islands are uninhabited.