Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514242
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JANUARY 2024 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In her ruling, the judge explained that the law was clear and unequivocal in stating that no appeal could be filed to a decree upholding or denying a request to exhibit such a document, until after final judgment was handed down. Lawyer Vince Galea, appearing for Muscat, asked that he be allowed to make submissions on the decree in the next sitting, which will take place later this month. The deal between the Government and Vitals' successors, Steward Healthcare, was struck down by a court last Feb- ruary, the judge in that case decrying the "fraudulent and, possibly, criminal behaviour by Steward…as well as Vitals… and its investors." An appeal to that decision was subse- quently also rejected in October. In reaction to the deci- sions, Muscat had taken to social media to blame the failure of the hospitals deal on "hidden vested interests, opposing the modernisation" of Malta's public healthcare. Last November, lawyers representing the former prime minister had cried foul after the NGO refused Muscat's re- quest to instruct its lawyer to exhibit copies of two docu- ments, one of them being Repubblika's 2019 application to request the commencement of the inquiry in genre into the Vitals Global Healthcare hospitals deal. Muscat's lawyers had asked Aquilina to exhibit a copy of two applications filed in 2019 before the inquiring magis- trate in 2019. But Aquilina had refused to do so, telling the court that the Repubblika committee had discussed the request and had decided not to grant Muscat's request. WASTESERV processed and re- turned more than 20,000 tonnes of recyclable waste for reuse in the economy last year, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said on Monday. This is the highest amount of recyclable waste ever processed, she added when speaking at the Multi-Material Recovery Facility in Ħal Far. Dalli said the achievement came on the back of a 23% reduction in the generation of mixed waste by households. This represents the lowest amount of black garbage bag waste received by WasteServ in the last 20 years. The frequency of the door-to- door collection of black bags was reduced to twice a week last year from three times a week in a bid to encourage households to sep- arate waste. Dalli said these results mark WasteServ's "most successful year" since its inception in 2002. "They affirm Malta's encourag- ing progress in the implemen- tation of its long-term plans towards sustainable waste man- agement," the minister said. The numbers presented by WasteServ show that the agency processed and exported to inter- national markets 8,199 tonnes of paper and cardboard; 2,206 tonnes of various metals; 7,411 tonnes of glass; 1,422 tonnes of different types of plastics; 142 tonnes of wood; 350 tonnes of gypsum; and 297 tonnes of foam. WasteServ also experienced a 35% increase in organic waste received from households and the commercial sector last year when compared to 2022. This waste was converted into 4.1 million units of energy, power- ing 570 homes for a year. Dalli acknowledged the contri- bution of the public's waste sep- aration efforts. "Such positive results can only be attributed to a collective effort – individuals, families, businesses, government entities, voluntary associations, and many others – who are un- derstanding the importance of reducing and recycling waste to protect the environment and the future of our country." Malta must reach the target of reducing the landfilling of waste to 10% by 2035. Apart from ef- forts to recover recyclable waste for eventual re-use, WasteServ is in the process of building an in- cinerator to significantly reduce the volume of waste that ends up in the landfill. WasteServ CEO Richard Biloc- ca saidt the 2023 results can be attributed to the opening of two new facilities in the past year. The first one, located at the ECOHIVE Complex in Magħtab, involved a €4 million investment in a recyclable waste processing plant that started operations in March. The other investment was the €22 million development in Ħal Far that processed vari- ous streams of waste recovered through the bring-in sites. "We also have several ongo- ing projects, including a new automated glass sorting line scheduled to be operational by mid-2024, and as part of the ECOHIVE Strategy, a skip man- agement facility that will process bulky waste from open-topped skips, as well as a new organic waste processing facility to re- place the current one," Bilocca said. He added that work on the in- cinerator is progressing with the plant's excavation works having been completed last year. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Waste separation efforts yield record 20,000 tonnes of recyclable waste WasteServ hails 2023 as its best year in two decades with waste separation efforts yielding positive results • Black bag waste reduced by 23%, organic waste up 35% CABINET has approved the setting up of the 'Authority for Climate Change' and sev- eral environmental schemes for businesses, according to Prime Minister Robert Abela. In a Facebook post, Abela said cabinet took the decision on Tuesday to set up the au- thority. "Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of this generation and its effects are huge. We need a focused ef- fort so that Malta, even if it is a small country, continues to play its part." Energy minister Miriam Dalli had announced last July that this new authority would be set up. It was promised af- ter a series of electricity cuts affected several localities in Malta and Gozo during a heat dome in the Mediterranean. Dalli had said that the au- thority will monitor the im- pact of climate change and coordinate actions to mitigate its effects. "In the coming days we will explain and provide more details. We will continue to implement the environmen- tal priorities we put forward," Abela said. Cabinet approves launch of Climate Change Authority Judge says law does not allow appeal from Court decrees Robert Aquilina, president of Repubblika, had asked for the magisterial inquiry into the hospitals deal