Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481355
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 OCTOBER 2022 NEWS Thank you... for having bought this newspaper The good news is that we're not raising the price of our newspaper We know times are still hard, but we have pledged to keep giving our readers quality news they deserve, without making you pay more for it. So thank you, for making it your MaltaToday Support your favourite newspaper with a special offer on online PDF subscriptions. Visit bit.ly/2X9csmr or scan the QR code Subscriptions can be done online on agendabookshop.com Same-day delivery at €1 for orders up to 5 newspapers per address. Subscribe from €1.15 a week Same-day print delivery from Miller Distributors mt CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 This means that by 2030, Mal- ta's seasonal population would be more than twice that of St Paul's Bay, which has a popu- lation of 32,000, and greater than that of the entire western region which includes Attard, Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Rabat and Siggie- wi. The total population, includ- ing the "equivalent seasonal population", would be expect- ed to increase from 546,542 in 2019, to 740,148 in 2040 and possibly 751,197 in 2055 – as- suming that tourist arrivals re- main stable after 2030. This assumption is being made because the growth of the seasonal population is di- rectly linked with economic growth, environmental and de- velopment parameters which are "unsafe to predict in a peri- od over 10 years". The Project Development Statement for the organic waste plant also refers to statis- tics in a "drafted Waste Preven- tion Plan", which indicate that tourists produce nearly double the amount of municipal waste – mostly consisting of food and packaging waste – than the resident population. "Tourists have been found to generate a higher amount of waste per person than residents, at a dai- ly 1.25kg compared to 0.68kg respectively." The study concludes that the seasonal population generates 1.8 times more waste than the permanent population. Moreover in 2018, the an- nual waste generation rate for the permanent population amounted to 430kg per person, while that for the seasonal pop- ulation, amounted to 774kg per tourist. And while the resident popu- lation generated an average of 205kg per capita of food waste, the seasonal population gener- ated a staggering 368kg. The study also estimates the total amount of household waste set to be generated by 2050, across three scenarios: one in which waste grows on- ly in proportion to population growth, then according to real economic growth, and finally a scenario of low growth as a re- sult of waste reduction policies. The third scenario, which is considered the most likely one given national efforts to re- duce waste generation, would see waste generation per sin- gle tourist fall from 774kg to 590kg a year by 2035, and that of residents falling from 430kg to 328kg. No further decreases in 'per capita' figures are expected af- ter 2035. Moreover, despite this de- crease, total figures will in- crease from 230,000kg to 259,000kg. But in the absence of waste reduction measures, the total amount of waste would rise to a staggering 732,000kg in 2050 at current rates of economic growth. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Total Inbound tourists Equivalent seasonal population* 2019 2.7 million 52,983 2020 0.7 million 16,110 2025 2.8 million 64,212 2030 3 million 69,041 *Based on an average stay of 7 nights By 2030, seasonal population will be double that of St Paul's Bay Total population including seasonal population equivalent 2019 546,542 2020 523,061 2021 558,091 2025 621,638 2030 657,632 2055 751,197 in 2018, the annual waste generation rate for the permanent population amounted to 430kg per person, while that for the seasonal population, amounted to 774kg per tourist. And while the resident population generated an average of 205kg per capita of food waste, the seasonal population generated a staggering 368kg