Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/946236
maltatoday SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2018 News 3 G E T Y O U R T I C K E T S FA S T. T H E Y W I L L N O T L A S T. R AY MOND "F IGH T " BE CK Written by André Mangion Directed by Sean Buhagiar This Performance Is In Maltese #TeatruMalta #RFB teatrumalta.org.mt Spazju Kreattiv March 2018 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18 J O H N M O N TA N A R O D AV I D E T U C C I Ż E P C A M I L L E R I K I M D A L L I L I L I A N P A C E P E T E R G A L E A J E S M O N D T E D E S C O T R I C C A S H E C T O R B R U N O R AY A B D I L L A P H I L I P M I Z Z I T O N I B U S U T T I L A N D R E ' M A N G I O N F R A N K Z A M M I T CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 EU ambassadors this week endorsed a provi- sional agreement on four waste package laws that will increase the share of municipal waste and packaging waste which is recycled. By 2023, when Malta is expected to start the incineration of waste, mandatory rules could be in place for bio-waste to be collected separately or recycled at source, in addition to the separate collection which already exists for paper and cardboard, glass, metals and plastic. Malta is now running out of space to dispose of its garbage, as it deals with the consequences of increased population and higher economic growth. Malta's engineered landfill at Ghallis will be running out of space by 2019. Malta is generating an average of 600kg of waste for each inhabitant as the island's popula- tion spiked to over 433,000 in recent years. The island is ranked sixth amongst the top EU coun- tries that generate the most waste per inhabitant. Additionally, 87% of all waste is going to a landfill while just 8% is being recycled. The new EU laws will carry a specific landfill reduction target, where municipal waste will no longer be accepted in a landfill. By 2035 the amount of municipal waste landfilled will have to be less than 10% of the total amount of municipal waste generated. As a waste-to-energy 'incinerator', much of the success of the plant will depend on the quality of the waste being incinerated. Firstly, the Maltese government is expected to embark on a campaign to intensify the recycling of waste, because the incinerator will not be able to take in the entire volume of waste being pro- duced. Secondly, the plant itself will be a main con- sumer of energy. Although the waste is converted into energy through the generation of heat, this energy will be used to power the plant itself. How much surplus energy is generated could depend on such factors as the quality of waste. One of the main challenges Malta is facing is the disposal of sewage sludge, which will be disposed of by us- ing the incinerator rather than landfill. But a lot of energy will have to be used to dry the sludge, which is wet, before its incineration. In the rest of Europe, landfilling, incineration and recycling are equally used for the disposal of waste. Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and Aus- tria are the top countries which recycle practi- cally half their waste, if not more. In the main, these countries also tend to in- cinerate half of their generated waste: Switzer- land, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Estonia and Fin- land practically incinerate half their waste. The trend is confirmed by Eurostat data that shows that landfills have been used less than ever be- fore since 1995, with the percentage of municipal waste being landfilled falling by almost 60% over the last two decades. Malta has struggled with efforts at curbing waste generation, with former environment min- ister Leo Brincat having mooted reducing waste collection days in a bid to encourage domestic users to produce less waste and recycle more. While the collection of separated dry recyclable waste at bring-in sites was considerably lower in 2015 than what was collected back in 2011, the collection of recycling waste in grey bags out- side houses has been increasing every year since 2010 – an indication that more households are endorsing the practice of separating recycla- ble waste. In 2015 alone the grey bag collection stood at 14,000 tonnes in Malta, and just over 970 tonnes in Gozo. Municipal waste generated in 2015 amounted to over 269,000 tonnes, an increase of 5.5% in Malta and just a 1% decline for Gozo over the previous year. PPP to run incinerator JAMES DEBONO A high-rise development proposed on the site of the Wembley Ice cream factory in Rue d'Argens has been slashed from 18 to 11 floors, and from a height of 88 metres to 55 metres. The design has also been changed to include an arched roof and alu- minium louver, which gives the building a more opulent look. The development which still dwarfs adjacent buildings, foresees the "careful dismantling" of the ice cream factory's façade and its re- building at the centre of the new development The property is on the PA's wait- ing list of properties awaiting a deci- sion on scheduling by the Planning Authority. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has recently asked the Planning Authority for information on the scheduling of the building and has asked whether this has any bearing on the building's legal pro- tection. Faced by the original 18-storey de- velopment residents in the area had signed a petition against the devel- opment expressing concern on the impact on parking spaces despite the inclusion of four storeys of un- derground parking. The Environment and Resources Authority has asked for studies on the projected increase in traffic flows as a result of the proposed de- velopment interventions at this site. Din l-Art Helwa had objected to the development because the pro- posal does not adhere to the Floor Area Ratio policy since all the ground floor area is committed to development with no outdoor area or benefit to the public. It also called for the preservation of the Wembley building, which it described as an industrial building worthy of preservation. Emil Bonello Ghio on behalf of Wembley Ice Cream Factory Lim- ited has presented the Wembley ap- plication. A spokesperson for the company had told MaltaToday that the aim of the project is to address the growing demand for office space in the coun- try, which could possibly increase after Brexit. "The demand for office space by both local and foreign companies is huge especially from commercial and professional companies… The supply of office space is currently very low and such a project is very timely." The plans for the project are being prepared by architect Ray Demicoli, a member of the PA's Design Advi- sory Committee, the panel advising the authority on the design of new buildings. Demicoli abstains on any discus- sion about projects in which he is involved as architect. Wembley Ice cream high-rise slashed to 11 stories