L-inkompetenza grassa tal-Gvern fl-immaniġġjar tal-iskart twassal għal azzjoni mill-UE wara snin ta’ twissijiet mill-PN
Rekord ta’ mmaniġġjar ħażin, kunflitti ta’ interess u miri ambjentali mhux milħuqa
L-inkompetenza grassa tal-Gvern fl-immaniġġjar tal-iskart twassal għal azzjoni mill-UE wara snin ta’ twissijiet mill-PN Rekord ta’ mmaniġġjar ħażin, kunflitti ta’ interess u miri ambjentali mhux milħuqa
Il-Partit Nazzjonalista ilu snin iwissi dwar in-negliġenza u l-inkompetenza grassa tal-Gvern fejn għandu x’jaqsam mal-immaniġġjar tal-iskart. Issa, il-Kummissjoni Ewropea b’mod formali fetħet Proċeduri ta’ Ksur kontra Malta talli kisret ir-regoli tal-UE dwar il-miżbliet. Din hija l-aħħar f’serje twila ta’ fallimenti tal-Gvern Laburista fil-qasam tal-immaniġġjar tal-iskart.
Il-pakkett ta’ Infringements tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea għal Ottubru 2025 iwissi lil Malta għaliex qed tarmi l-iskart f’miżbliet mingħajr ma jkun isseparat kif suppost u għaliex qed tiddependi żżejjed fuq il-landfilling bħala l-metodu primarju ta’ rimi tal-iskart, minkejja twissijiet ripetuti mill-UE.
Ir-rata ta’ riċiklaġġ u użu mill-ġdid tal-iskart muniċipali f’Malta bħalissa hija biss ta’ 13% meta mqabbla mal-medja Ewropea ta’ 49%. Għall-iskart tal-ippakkjar, ir-rata hija ta’ 32% biss, ferm taħt il-miri tal-2025 ta’ 55% u 65% rispettivament. Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea wissiet li Malta tinsab fit-triq li tfalli milli tilħaq il-miri ta’ din is-sena jekk ma jsirux “riformi u investiment urġenti”.
Problem kbira oħra tibqa’ l-ammont għoli ta’ skart iġġenerat ras għal ras. Skont il-Pjan Nazzjonali għall-Immaniġġjar tal-Iskart fit-Tul tal-gvern stess, kull sors ta’ skart mistenni jikber b’1% fis-sena għal kull persuna. Dan jimplika li l-miżuri ta’ riċiklaġġ ma kinux effettivi biżżejjed u li l-miżuri biex in-nies jiġu mħeġġa jipproduċu inqas skart mhumiex ambizzjużi daqs kemm suppost. Hawn hi kronoloġija tan-nuqqasijiet fl-immaniġġjar tal-iskart:
· Qabel l-2013: Il-Gvern Nazzjonalista jipproponi proġett ta’ waste-to-energy li kellu jkun konkluż sal-2022.
· 2014: Il-Gvern Laburista jikkritika l-proposta tal-PN għal impjant waste-to-energy u jwettaq studju li sewa lill-poplu miljun ewro, u li qal li l-iskart kollu għandu jiġi esportat. Dan il-pjan qatt ma ġie implimentat.
· 2018: Il-Gvern Laburista jaħtar kumitat li jgħid li issa hemm bżonn ta’ impjant waste-to-energy ferm ikbar għal Malta. Il-proġett kellu jkun lest sal-2023.
· 2020: It-tender għall-proġett waste-to-energy jinħareġ għall-ewwel darba.
· 2021: Jiġi identifikat kunflitt ta’ interess fl-istudji ambjentali essenzjali tal-proġett u kellhom isiru mill-ġdid.
· 2021: It-tender ifalli hekk kif l-offerenti kollha jirtiraw minħabba inkompetenza tal-Gvern.
· 2022: It-tender għall-proġett waste-to-energy jinħareġ għat-tieni darba.
· 2023: Il-kuntratt tal-proġett tal-waste-to-energy ta’ €600 miljun fil-Magħtab jiġi mogħti b’mod kontroversjali.
· 2024: Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea tiftaħ Proċeduri ta’ Ksur wara li Malta falliet milli tilħaq il-mira ta’ 50% ta’ riċiklaġġ tal-iskart muniċipali.
· Marzu 2025: Wara talba tal-PN, l-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Verifika (NAO) jaqbel li jinvestiga l-proċess kollu tal-kuntratt tal-impjant waste-to-energy fost allegazzjonijiet serji ta’ irregolaritajiet u kunflitti ta’ interess.
· Ottubru 2025: Il-Qorti tal-Appell tħassar it-tieni tender tal-impjant waste-to-energy, u tikkonferma li l-kumitat tal-evalwazzjoni u l-bord tar-reviżjoni kienu mtebbgħa b’kunflitti ta’ interess, u li d-deċiżjonijiet tagħhom kienu irregolari.
Dan l-iskandlu mhux biss ikkomprometta aktar il-kapaċità tal-miżbliet u wassal biex jinħarġu diversi permessi biex tikber il-landfill, waqt li ttardja proġett kruċjali għat-tranżizzjoni tal-iskart f’Malta imma anke poġġa f’periklu miljuni ta’ ewro f’fondi pubbliċi waqt li kompla jitfa’ lill-pajjiż lura f’dak li għandu x’jaqsam mal-miri tal-UE li jrid jilħaq.
Il-PN: Soluzzjonijiet veri, mhux skandli Filwaqt li l-Gvern Laburista ħalla din il-problema tkompli tikber, il-Partit Nazzjonalista ilu jressaq u jaħdem fuq soluzzjonijiet konkreti u bbażati fuq l-evidenza.
Fuq livell lokali u residenzjali, il-Partit Nazzjonalista nieda Innaddfu lil Malta – dokument ta’ konsultazzjoni pubblika li jipproponi ideat innovattivi bħal bins taħt l-art, trakkijiet tal-iskart b’kompartimenti differenti għall-iskart separat, flotta elettrika għall-ġbir tal-iskart, infrastruttura ta’ smart bins, u studju komprensiv tal-carrying capacity għal kull lokalità biex jinħadmu strateġiji ta’ skart ibbażati fuq id-data.
Fuq livell nazzjonali, il-Partit Nazzjonalista jibqa’ impenjat biex jgħin lil Malta tilħaq il-miri kollha ambjentali u tal-enerġija kemm jista’ jkun malajr, li wieħed mill-elementi kruċjali tagħhom huwa pjan fit-tul għall-ekonomija ċirkolari li jnaqqas il-ġenerazzjoni tal-iskart u d-dipendenza fuq il-miżbliet.
Rebekah Borg Shadow Minister għall-Ambjent
Eve Borg Bonello Shadow Minister għat-Tibdil fil-Klima u l-Indafa Pubblika
10.10.2025
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Government’s gross incompetence on waste management forces EU action after years of PN warnings A record of mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and missed environmental targets
The Partit Nazzjonalista has repeatedly warned about the Government’s gross negligence and incompetence when it comes to waste management and now, the European Commission has formally launched Infringement Procedures against Malta for breaching EU landfilling rules. This is the latest chapter in a long pattern of Labour Government failures in waste management.
The Commission’s October 2025 infringement package cites Malta for dumping waste into landfills without proper separation and for relying excessively on landfilling as the primary disposal method, despite repeated EU warnings.
Malta’s recycling and reuse rate for municipal waste currently stands at just 13%, compared to the EU average of 49%, and packaging waste at 32%, far below the 2025 targets of 55% and 65%, respectively. The European Commission has warned that Malta is on track to miss its 2025 targets unless “urgent reforms and investment” are made.
Another glaring problem remains Malta’s high per capita waste generation. From the Government’s own Long Term Waste Management Plan, it is clear that all waste sources are expected to grow by 1% annually per capita. The implication of this is that recycling is not achieving the desired effects and that measures to incentivise people to generate less waste are not nearly as ambitious as they should be. Here is a timeline of waste mismanagement:
· Before 2013: PN Government proposes waste-to-energy project that would have been concluded by 2022.
· 2014: Labour Government criticises PN’s proposal for a waste-to-energy plant and carries out a study costing the public one million euros which stated that all waste should be exported. No such plan was ever put in place.
· 2018: Labour Government appoints a committee which said that a much larger waste-to-energy plant is now needed for Malta. The waste-to-energy plant project was to be ready by 2023.
· 2020: The tender for the waste-to-energy project was first issued.
· 2021: A conflict of interest was identified on the essential environmental studies carried out for the project and they had to be re-done.
· 2021: The tender falls through as all bidders withdrew their offer because of Government incompetence.
· 2022: The tender for the waste-to-energy project was issued for the second time.
· 2023: The €600 million Magħtab waste-to-energy project was controversially awarded.
· 2024: The European Commission opens infringement proceedings after Malta failed to achieve the 50% municipal waste recycling target.
· March 2025: Following a PN request, the National Audit Office (NAO) agreed to investigate the entire waste-to-energy plant contract process amid serious allegations of irregularities and conflicts of interest.
· October 2025: The Court of Appeal nullifies the second waste-to-energy plant tender, confirming that the evaluation committee and review board were tainted by conflicts of interest, rendering the decisions irregular.
This scandal has continued to execerbate landfill load, resulting in multiple permits being issued to increase the landfill, delaying a project critical to Malta’s waste transition. But beyond that, it has also jeopardised millions in public funds and further derailed EU targets.
PN: Real solutions, not scandals While the Labour Government has allowed this problem to continue to grow, the Partit Nazzjonalista has been emphasising and working on real, evidence based solutions.
At a local and residential level, Innaddfu lil Malta, was unveiled. This public consultation document proposed novel ideas like underground bins, multi-compartment garbage trucks, a fully electric waste collection fleet, smart bin infrastructure, and a comprehensive carrying-capacity study in every locality to design data-driven waste strategies.
At a national level, Partit Nazzjonalista remains committed to help Malta meet all its environmental and energy targets as soon as possible, a critical component of which is a long-term circular economy plan that reduces waste generation and dependence on landfills.
Rebekah Borg Shadow Minister għall-Ambjent
Eve Borg Bonello Shadow Minister għat-Tibdil fil-Klima u l-Indafa Pubblika
10.10.2025