Minister calls for private input in Wasteserv

The private sector must be involved in Wasteserv operations, Environment minister Leo Brincat said today.

Addressing a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, Brincat said the government shouldn't exclude the participation of the private sector.

"However, the priority right now is for an effective regulator which oversees the works in waste management," he said.

Brincat said that while the original strategy provided for private input, yet this didn't happen. He said that a report commissioned by the previous administration had shown that Wasterserv moved in a direction contrary to what was recommended for the reduction in the company's operational costs.

The minister said that even though a national waste management plan should have been ready by the end of this year, preparation works were inadequate.

"We have now appointed a technical team to draft a holistic strategic review and a national plan for waste management," he said.

On green jobs, Brincat said he was working with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo to draw up a proactive and realistic strategy.

Brincat told the Chamber of Commerce that he was committed to open up consultation on issues which impacted their work.

"We also need effective audit trails, even in the collection of waste at local council level and in the collection of data so that certain landfill fees encouraging separation of waste are not discarded by those who want to break the law," he said.