Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/627675
41 Events maltatoday, Sunday, 17 January 2016 €12 million Autoclave project launched by WasteServ in Marsa WasteServ has inaugurated Malta's first Autoclave in Marsa with an in- vestment which cost €12 million. This is another milestone for WasteServ in its effort to create a sustainable waste strategy for the Maltese islands. Speaking at the launch of the Autoclave, the Minister for Sustain- able Development, the Environment and Climate Change, Leo Brincat said that "Today we are inaugurat- ing a project which will facilitate the processing of animal waste in Marsa. "This €12 million project, of which 85% were EU funds, is equipped with the latest technology. Through the development of this project not only will WasteServ be reducing its dependency on the incinerator but will be giving waste management better environmental credentials." Brincat added that "Up to today, when the incinerator is undergo- ing maintenance the process of in- cineration would have had to stop and all carcasses would be stored in freezers until the incinerator is back in operation. "With this state-of-the-art project, the process will continue seam- lessly. Another advantage of this project is the small footprint, es- pecially when the volume of waste that will be processed is taken into consideration. " During the inauguration the Par- liamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds Ian Borg explained that this project had qualified under the European Regional Development Fund with an allocation of almost €12 million. This project involved the construc- tion of a Rendering Plant for the treatment of animal waste for a bet- ter system of operation. Borg expressed satisfaction that in these last years the government has been working towards a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and this project is expected to contrib- ute towards reaching Malta's com- mitment to achieve its goal of 5%. In his address WasteServ chair- man, David Borg said, "Following last month's inauguration of the Waste Transfer and Materials Re- covery Facility in Gozo, this is an- other important milestone for the company in its drive to improve and modernize the infrastructure for waste management in our country. "The opening of the Autoclave will help to reduce dependency on the Marsa Incinerator as well as cut down on odour and pollution, lower energy and fuel consump- tion, decrease current incineration expenditure and overall have a posi- tive effect on climate change." Although it is based in Malta, the Autoclave will also treat animal waste generated in Gozo, as well as processing other waste considered hazardous. In his address, WasteServ CEO Tonio Montebello explained that, "this plant will result in substantial savings in fuel which is currently used to operate the incinerator. This is due to the extraction of tal- low (animal fat) through the auto- claving process, which is then used in the incinerator as fuel, thus creat- ing resources from waste. "The plant will also enable the treatment of expired foodstuffs which will be processed before it is sent to the Sant'Antnin recycling plant for further treatment in the mechanical biological treatment plant to obtain more resources which include energy generation." With this plant, Malta will there- fore have two independent facilities that can treat animal by-products: the incinerator and the Autoclave. Waste will be treated without odour release into the environment and waste water will be reused instead of being disposed of in the sewers without any pre-treatment. Energy released from the plant will also be used to produce hot water for wash- ing purposes. The Autoclave will treat animal by-products (ABPs) from the civil abattoir and private slaughter hous- es currently totalling 6,000 tonnes a year. Of these, approximately 307 tonnes will originate from Gozo. The plant will also enable the treat- ment of animal waste – once this waste is processed, waste will be transferred to the Thermal Treat- ment Facility for incineration or sent through for further treatment. This project will also contribute towards reaching Malta's target to reach 5% reduction on greenhouse gas emissions and 10% of total en- ergy consumption and generation of renewable energy resources. Minister Leo Brincat addressing the launch of the Autoclave Nexia BT and E-Cubed Consultants merge to create Economics and EU Affairs Advisory Practice Nexia BT has announced the merger of its advisory practice with E-Cubed Consultants Limited. A new Economics and EU Affairs Division will be formed under the leader- ship of Gordon Cordina as Partner and Stephanie Vella as Director. This new division will op- erate in synergy with the advisory practice, which will continue to be led by Anita Aloisio. This merger aims to meet Nexia BT clients' grow- ing demands for a broader range of professional ca- pabilities and for a wider international reach. Cordina said that "with Nexia BT's support and its global platform, the merged organisa- tion will be in an even better po- sition to meet the requirements of its clients rapidly, f lexibly and in a cost effective manner, using a multi-disciplinary approach. The merged organisation will furthermore focus on support- ing the principal growth areas of the Maltese economy over the coming years and on extending its successful advisory model in- ternationally". Anita Aloisio, who during this year led the Nexia BT advisory practice to win the Advisory Firm of the Year award of the In- ternational Accounting Bulletin, feels that this is a really exciting opportunity for all the stake- holders, especially Nexia BT's clients and staff. This is because Nexia BT in- tends to invest and grow the business, strengthen the com- bined business solutions that will be possible through the merger, whilst remaining f lexible and ca- pable to meet time and budget- ary requirements. This merger will see the firm's advisory practice multidiscipli- nary team rise to 40 highly qual- ified and proficient professionals holding and studying towards PhDs in Economics, and Masters degrees in Business Administra- tion, Economics, Accountancy, Finance, and Financial Services as well as qualifications in Engi- neering. The academically qualified professionals coupled with the leaders' experience makes the newly merged Nexia BT advi- sory practice a unique service provider in the area of Finance, Cost Modelling, Economics, EU policy and funds, Environment, Business and Operations Model- ling, Statistics and Forecasting and Legal/Regulatory issues. Brian Tonna, managing part- ner of Nexia BT, is proud that the firm that he has founded more than 20 years ago has attracted and sealed this merger with the sole specialised Economics con- sultancy firm on the island. Tonna said that the Nexia BT advisory practice is committed to continue to provide a person- alised service duly built upon close client relationships and to serve all of its clients by giving them value added solutions that best meet their requirements. It is the intention of the part- ners to retain and consolidate this approach, which has under- pinned their reputation to date. Nicole Ebejer, winner of Face of Diet Kinnie 2016 Nicole Ebejer has been named this year's Face of Diet Kin- nie and will be fronting the 2016 marketing campaign for the brand. Nicole has also won a one-year modelling contract with Supernova Models – Mal- ta's leading model agency. She also walked the catwalk during last November's Pink fashion show and participated in a dream fashion shoot in London as part of her prize, as well as appearing in the editorial of December's edition of Pink magazine. Nicole was the final winner in a competition to find the Face of Diet Kinnie that saw over 200 entrants. The competition involved several challenges for the participants, including pho- toshoots and styling, as well as attending modelling lessons, all under the careful guidance and mentorship of Marisa Grima, well-known in Malta's model- ling and fashion scene. "Participants are handpicked for this competition simply be- cause the judging panel would have seen something special in them. Hundreds of hopefuls ap- plied, but only a few made it to the final stages of the competi- tion. Nicole embodies every- thing the organizers were look- ing for as the Face of Diet Kinnie, plus she has tons of personality to complement her good looks," commented Marisa Grima. Nicole added, "I am very happy, excited and proud to be the Face of Diet Kinnie 2016. I can't wait to start working on the cam- paign. It has been a very good start so far. A year ago starting modelling was just a thought and looking back I realise that in one year I have already achieved a lot. Being the Face of Diet Kin- nie 2016 and working with such an iconic brand will give me the boost to continue with my mod- eling career." Lara Filletti, Brand Executive for Kinnie at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, said that Nicole was the perfect person to represent the brand for the coming year, em- bodying the traits of the brand perfectly. "We are very happy with the winner and we look for- ward to working together on yet another successful campaign for Diet Kinnie." Kinnie, Diet Kinnie, Kinnie Zest and Kinnie Vita are pro- duced, marketed and distributed by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc. For more information visit w w w. kinnie.com or w w w.facebook. com/kinnie.mt. Nexia BT and E-Cubed Consultants officials Nicole Ebejer, Diet Kinnie's 2016 Face