Update 3 - New waste plant approved in long, tense meeting

The Mepa board this afternoon approved the building of a waste recycling plant at Maghtab which will handle almost three times as much waste as the Sant'Antnin plant. The project was approved with 10 votes in favour to one against after a long and occasionally tense meeting. Board member Alex Vella, who represents environmental organizations, was the only one to vote against the plans. The facility will cater for 186,000 tonnes of waste per year. Residents are opposed to the facility, which will be built next to the existing landfill. Wasteserv said the facility will be divided into two plants: a section that will handle 47,000 tonnes of dry recyclable waste and the bigger part that will convert organic waste and manure into compost. The compost plant will receive 100,000 tonnes of domestic waste per year, 35,000 tonnes of cattle manure and 4,000 tonnes of chicken manure. It will also produce gas that will be used to produce electricity. Malta is obliged by EU directives to recycle at least 50 per cent of all waste generated by 2020, a target that will not be met unless the Sant Antnin plant is supplanted by other recycling facilities. John Portelli, a representative of Maghtab...