While acknowledging Malta’s rising waste levels, Momentum opposes concentrating major waste management facilities, including the planned Thermal Treatment Facility (TTF) and approved Waste to Energy (WtE) incinerator, within the ECOHIVE complex near residential areas like Magħtab, Naxxar, and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.
Despite a recent Environmental Impact Assessment for the TTF (handling animal/hazardous waste) claiming “negligible” air quality impact, and assurances of sophisticated monitoring systems, Momentum argues such claims overlook inherent risks. They maintain that concentrating these facilities, alongside the existing Organic Processing Plant, creates an unacceptable potential for accidents that could immediately endanger nearby residents, regardless of safety measures. No system is foolproof, and proximity amplifies risk.
Furthermore, Natasha Azzopardi, Momentum committee member questions the significant policy change allowing the TTF to incinerate hazardous waste, which has historically been exported for specialised treatment abroad; “We demand clear justification why local incineration is now preferred and what guarantees its safety compared to export. Has the Maltese government ever considered underground waste treatment or ship-based incineration as alternatives, and assessed their environmental and logistical viability?”
Furthermore, the European Union aims to transition to a fully sustainable system by 2050 through its Circular Economy Action Plan, where waste prevention, recovery, reuse and recycling are key factors. Incineration goes completely against the Circular Economy as it stops waste from being recovered and reused. Indeed, this, if given the right priority by the government, should render incinerator plants obsolete as there would be no waste left to incinerate.
In essence, Momentum believes the cumulative environmental and health risks from consolidating these large-scale industrial operations so close to communities are too high and are not aligned to the Circular Economy Action Plan.
