Wasteserv respond to PN stench criticism

“The current government inherited a lack of preventative maintenance programmes at the Sant’Antnin waste treatment plant,” Wasteserv said. “This lack, coupled with serious design flaws in parts of the plant reached a point whereby a tank that stores the material used to process biogas suffered serious damages.”

“In light of this, we conducted preventative maintenance on the other three tanks. We also decided to properly service the machine that generates electricity from biogas. The plant has once again started to produce electricity.”

They were responding to criticisms aired at them by the Nationalist Party’s environment spokesman Charlo Bonnici. Bonnici had accused the government of ignoring a foul stench at the Sant’ Antnin plant.

“Tests are ongoing to change certain processes that we believe are contributing to the stench,” Wasteserv said. “The committee for the monitoring of the Sant’ Antnin plant, composed of MEPA officials, local council members and Wasteserv officials, meets up regularly to discuss these changes.“

“Contradictory to what Bonnici insinuated, seven MEPA inspections have occurred under the current government, the latest of which was held last July.”

Bonnici had asked whether refuse-derived fuel that is being left in the plant for longer than it is supposed to was contributing to the stench.

“A lot of this material used to be dumped at Maghtab and contributed to the serious landfill problem there. We plan to export it to other countries that have appropriate facilities to process it."

Bonnici had asked whether grey rubbish bags were being allowed to accumulutate at the plant.

“We start seperating the waste from these grey bags as soon as they reach the plant,” WasteServ said. “We have recently been receiving a lot of recyclable material. This shows that the Maltese are becoming more conscious about the importance of recyling.”

Bonnici had asked whether the door to the room where waste is processed is being left open.

“Parts of the plant werent even commissioned by the contractor who built and supplied the plant,” Wasteserv said. “On advice of Health and Safety consultants, the plant opens its doors from time to time to improve air circulation.”

Wasteserv also said that two new waste treatment plants, in Maghtab and Gozo, will start processing waste in January 2016.