Press Releases Archives - Page 10 of 34

On the 27th January 2023 the Board of the Environment & Resources Authority confirmed the issuing of €7,270 in contested fines for seven waste legislation infringements.

A waste carrier who had collected a refrigerator as part of the bulky waste service was fined €1,200 for removing its compressor prior to depositing it at the Mrieħel Civic Amenity Site. ERA enforcement officers regularly monitor different waste collection processes, including WEEE items and other objects collected as bulky waste from households through the services provided by local government contractors, to ensure that no abuses are taking place.

As had happened in various other instances in the past, another waste carrier was fined €850 for mixing organic and black bags together in the same refuse collection vehicle, without an adequate separator.

In another case, a refuse collection vehicle owner was fined €1,200 for depositing waste from a waste vehicle into a Bring-In Site, in breach of applicable permit conditions. Such malpractices swamp waste disposal facilities created for public use with waste from municipal waste collections.

Another fine of €1,200 was issued to a registered waste carrier whose vehicle was used to carry waste for illegal incineration. A warning was also issued to the contravener noting that any further waste-related breaches will result in the revocation of their ERA permit to transport waste, with the possibility of even heftier fines.

Another €1,200 fine was imposed on an individual whose employees were caught incinerating waste in a countryside premises.

The Board also turned down a fireworks factory’s contestation of a fine for irregular dumping of waste. The organisation argued that the waste was dumped in the indicated location as it consisted of pyrotechnic waste. However, ERA confirmed that in fact this material included mixed waste comprising even plastic bottles and pieces of furniture, and not only pyrotechnic material. The organisation had already been issued a number of warnings in this regard however the irregularities persisted. The applicable €1,200 was confirmed, along with an order for the organisation to clean the site in question.

The ERA Board also confirmed a fine to a company that had failed to settle dues related to its registration as a producer of packaging waste, as applicable by law.

Reports of environmental or waste irregularities can be submitted to ERA on 2292 3500 or via the ERA customer care app on https://cc-eris.eraportal.org.mt/new-case/submit-new-case.

4 February 2023

22 December 2022

Two Government entities have come together to offer support to help companies operating quarries to crush construction waste with the aim to facilitate the recycling of such waste and increase the density of the backfilled material, so that more waste may be deposited due to better compaction while leading to the restoration of void spaces with higher environmental standards.

While Malta Enterprise shall be offering fiscal support to such companies on the acquisition of machinery, ERA shall be offering a grant on the volume of space that shall be restored.

ERA’s grant on restoration of void spaces

ERA’s scheme which shall be awarded as a cash grant is intended to incentivise quarry owners and operators to crush inert excavation, construction and demolition waste before it is used for the restoration of void spaces. The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has committed €350,000 from its Environment fund to this scheme which is intended for the Restoration of Void Spaces with Crushed Inert Excavation, Construction and Demolition Waste (ROVS).

The ROVS funds will be allocated over a maximum period of 5 years with the aim of incentivising the crushing of excavation waste as well as construction and demolition waste prior to it being used as backfill material in void spaces. Crushing of this material would increase the density of the backfilled material, thereby increasing the capacity of the void space in that more waste may be deposited due to better compaction, leading to restoration of void spaces with higher environmental standards.

Eligible Quarry operators and owners can submit the completed application to ERA by the end of June 2023. Applications will be evaluated by an evaluation committee on a first-come-first-served basis. Upon the necessary verification by the Authority, beneficiaries will enter into a grant agreement with the Authority and will receive yearly payments with an overall capping of €50,00 per successful applicant.

Malta Enterprise quarry industry tax-credit scheme

Meanwhile Malta Enterprise’s scheme shall provide fiscal support (tax credits) to eligible companies on the purchase of crushers, dust suppression equipment and the replacement of old construction equipment related to crushing operations. The scheme falls under the de minimis Regulation. The maximum support that can be awarded shall cover 50% of the eligible expenditure up to a maximum €100,000 per project and must be utilised over a period of five 5 years.

Projects are to start after approval by the Corporation. Malta Enterprise applications may be received until November 2023 unless budget is used up before. Applications should include full details and costs to be incurred including a quotation from the supplier from whom the new equipment will be purchased.

This incentive is aimed at registered limited liability companies engaged in construction activities, including the processing and disposal of construction waste. Partnerships or self-employed operating in the said field may also be eligible.

Application process

The scheme guidelines and respective application form for the Malta Enterprise ‘Support for Reducing the environmental impact of Construction activities’ scheme will be available in the coming weeks.

Applications for the ERA ‘Restoration of Void Spaces with Crushed Inert Excavation, Construction and Demolition Waste’ (ROVS) scheme will be available on the following link from the era website.

Students from different schools met Minister Miriam Dalli and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) to discuss their proposals for the future of Malta’s environment.

Children from San Andrea School, De La Salle College, St Benedict’s College and St Nicholas College were welcomed for a countryside walk at Majjistral Park, before sitting down with Minister Miriam Dalli and ERA officials to present their ideas about the National Strategy for the Environment 2050 (NSE). The authority published this strategy for public consultation last summer. It is currently reviewing the numerous submissions received from different stakeholders, before presenting the updated document to Parliament for final approval.

Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli thanked the students for accepting ERA’s invitation to join the public debate about the NSE.

“Malta’s plans for a greener, cleaner environment during the next 30 years require the participation of all of us. This is a strategy that must reflect our priorities as a country, and we must all work to achieve it. One of the eight principal goals of the strategy is to empower the people to lead the required green transition. We could not conclude this important strategy without reaching out to children. We have a lot to learn from the enthusiasm and innovative ideas of our younger generation, and I look forward to keep giving them similar platforms to continue determining our future,” Minister Miriam Dalli said.

Minister Dalli explained that the proposals presented to ERA by students will be added to the submissions received in recent months, including those of other students participating in the Ekoskola programme.

Nadia Suda Lanzon, who leads the team developing the NSE, emphasised the importance of listening to young stakeholders as well. “With their future ahead of them, children will benefit the most from the successful implementation of this strategy. Giving them the opportunity to have their say ensures the relevance and validity of our policies.”

The NSE is built on eight strategic goals, targeting our country’s present and future environmental challenges and opportunities – Clean Air, Quality Neighbourhood, Thriving Biodiversity, Zero Waste, Resilient Land Resources, Flourishing Seas, Sustainable Water Resources and Enabling Change.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) hosted the eighth International Meeting of the Parties of the United Nations Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS).

During the meeting, countries of the Mediterranean, the adjacent Atlantic area and the Black Sea discussed issues leading to the improvement of the status of whales and dolphins and adopted a three-year programme of work to further improve the state of these creatures in our regions.

The meeting included representatives of the contracting parties, as well as observers, experts and marine specialists. They met in Malta not only to discuss, share and improve on the knowledge of our seas but also to provide an ample update on the ACCOBAMS Programme of Work established to protect these marvellous creatures, and to tackle threats and pressures linked with their survival in the region.

The Parties recognised the importance of protecting the marine environment and preserve marine cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and agreed to an ambitious work programme for the next 3 years, tackling various related issues, including underwater noise, dolphin and whale strandings, and ship strikes, amongst many others. This plan is also accompanied by a long-term monitoring campaign on dolphins and whales, to ensure their safety.

Furthermore, a communication strategy was adopted to centralise information and gradually raise awareness and share knowledge to everyone who wishes to learn more and help take action for cetacean conservation.

Information about ACCOBAMS

ACCOBAMS, the United Nations Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area, is an international legal treaty implementing the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention). Its purpose is to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises (known collectively as cetaceans) in these regions and reduce threats to them by improving current knowledge on these animals and implementing conservation measures.

Established in 1996, ACCOBAMS is a legal conservation tool based on the cooperation between all members of the treaty. In 2022, the Agreement has 24 Parties: Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

Click here for more information about ACCOBAMS and the conference in Malta.

The conference was symbolised by an image of a dolphin with calf, stylised with Maltese features: a video prepared by ERA for ACCOBAMS is available here.

About cetaceans in Malta

Cetaceans are important to the whole marine ecosystem, as these mammals are predators that are able to control populations of other species and maintain a balance of marine ecosystems. Due to their importance and charismatic nature, all marine mammals found in our waters (which include all our dolphins and whales, as well as the harbour porpoise and the monk seal) are strictly protected in Malta since 1992. Deliberate disturbance as well as killing such species is illegal, primarily through the Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Protection Regulations (SL 549.44). ERA coordinates a permitting system to ensure the implementation of such protection, has declared marine protected areas for such marine species, and finances rehabilitation in relation to stranded dolphins.

The Environment and Resources Authority has conducted scientific surveys in marine waters on cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and confirmed the presence of selected cetaceans in particular areas around the Maltese coast, and further monitoring studies are ongoing. The results were published as part of Malta’s Assessment of Marine Waters. This research has shown that four whale species and four dolphin species were reported from Malta in the latest surveys. The whales are: the Fin Whale; the Sperm Whale; the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale and the Long-Finned Pilot Whale; whilst the dolphins are: the Risso’s Dolphin; the Common Dolphin, the Striped Dolphin and the Bottlenose Dolphin.

Current data indicates the populations of the key species found in Malta are stable, although longer term monitoring is required. ERA is investing in such issues and is undergoing further monitoring studies.

Information on selected marine fauna, including the three main dolphin species in Malta can be found here, in the section marked ‘mammals’.

More information on the status of cetaceans in Malta available here.

12 December 2022

In the past weeks, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and Ambjent Malta (AM) continued conservation and rehabilitation works in area known as il-Qala ta’ Santa Marija and in other natural sites in Comino.

As part of this work that started in 2017, this year these entities are working on the restoration of the marshland in the area, with the setting up of two freshwater and brackish water ponds near il-Qala ta’ Santa Marija. This was done in order to restore the environment of this area, which naturally attracts many species of flora and fauna, including migratory birds. At the same time, around 1,000 trees and shrubs were planted further adding to those planted in previous years. ERA and Ambjent Malta have contributed to the planting of around 18,000 trees and shrubs on this island in the past five years.

Ambjent Malta and ERA officials have also continued the long-term cleaning and maintenance programme for the other ecologically important sites such as Santa Marija and the Blue Lagoon area. This year, a number of old electricity poles in the Wied l-Aħmar area were removed, a number of demolished rubble walls were rebuilt, wooden fencing around the island’s sand dunes was repaired to prevent trampling, various bulky waste was removed, and a number of invasive alien species which had been introduced to Comino over the years have been removed.

The two water habitats which were created in the Santa Marija area have been positioned amongst plants and trees in order to restore the natural brackish water habitats that were once present in the area. ERA and Ambjent Malta are working to gradually restore this site to its natural state. Water habitats are very rare in our country and therefore require every possible form of protection. Prior to these works, this location was being used as a campsite. A new campsite had been created for those who like to go camping in Comino without causing any environmental damage, the campsite is located within an area close by known as Tal-Ful. Ambjent Malta is also working towards setting up new and sustainable sanitary facilities by next year.

This year in addition to ongoing works, ERA has continued to increase its presence on Comino with enforcement officers, especially during the summer months, in order to discourage environmental damage to the natural sites of this island. These officers have helped to reduce the amounts of waste dumped irresponsibly and guided those visiting the island not to walk beyond the established paths.

More information:

Comino is the third largest island in the Maltese archipelago. A number of smaller islets are found close to it, namely, Kemmunett, il-Ħaġriet ta’ bejn il-Kmiemen and l-Iskoll ta’ Taħt il-Mazz. The island and its nearby islets are rich in biodiversity, as you will find several rare and endangered species. The islands are protected under national environmental laws, as well as European laws such as those for Natura 2000 sites.
ERA and Ambjent Malta works in Comino are based on a Management Plan which ensures that the habitats and the different species on this island are conserved, and where necessary improved. This plan was drawn up after a long-term consultation and research process, in the past years.

16 November 2022

The Environment and Resources Authority is launching a public consultation on the introduction of mandatory waste separation at source for everyone, including government entities, households, businesses and other organisations.

To date, there are no legal obligations to separate waste at source, resulting in a significant share of recyclable waste resources being disposed of as mixed residual waste (i.e. in the black bag). The Waste Management Plan for Malta 2021 – 2030 identifies the establishment of mandatory waste separation as a key measure to increase recycling efforts and the quality of recyclable material, as well as to decrease the amount of waste being landfilled, in line with EU commitments.

The proposed mandatory waste separation regulations will be a major environmental step forward for Malta, in its effort to promote increased waste recycling and to drastically reduce mixed waste to landfills by 2035. Mandatory waste separation will also lead to improved cleanliness in residential areas and commercial districts, by providing the required educational campaigns and legal framework to discourage irregular dumping of waste bags in public areas, such as pavements.

Voluntary waste separation by households has become increasingly popular in recent years, as record levels of separated waste collection were registered in 2021. However, local councils, e-NGOs and other stakeholders have been calling for mandatory waste separation regulations to rapidly boost recycling rates and to consolidate the management and enforcement of waste collection.

Two legal notices are being proposed with the aim of introducing the mandatory separation at source requirements within national legislation, namely the Waste (Amendment) Regulations, and the Abandonment, Dumping and Disposal of Waste in Streets and Public Places of Areas (Amendment) Regulations. These regulations will be introduced in conjunction with a nationwide, six-month educational campaign, to make sure that the public is adequately informed before they come in force.

Enforcement of the new regulations by ERA and other entities will be carried out gradually, to allow for a period of adaptation, whilst also raising awareness about these new environmental obligations.

The draft regulations can be downloaded from era.org.mt. ERA invites all stakeholders to submit their feedback to these proposals by email on [email protected], by Monday, 5th December 2022.

08 November 2022

Dr. Godwin Cassar and Mr. Vincent Gauci are this year’s awardees of the ERA’s prestigious Buonamico Award.

The Buonamico Award is a yearly award-giving ceremony held under the patronage of H.E. The President of Malta, which distinguishes individuals whose actions and achievements benefited our biodiversity and the environment.

This prestigious award has been inspired by Malta’s first naturalist, Giovanni Francesco Buonamico, who had recognized the importance of our natural environment in the 17th century. His varied intellectual interests resulted in the writing of at least four important manuscripts on natural history including the first flora of the Maltese Islands, the so-called “Brevis Notitia” manuscripts which acted as the basis for today’s modern reference books.

Buonamico’s role was pivotal for an environmental regulator’s perspective, with scientific evidence based work as the basis of all decision taking measures, to assure correct implementation to safeguard the Environment from a legislative perspective.

This year, the ERA board has chosen two distinguished members of the public who’s role had contributed towards the protection and the betterment of the Maltese environment.

Dr Godwin Cassar, who served for several decades within the public service and contributed in a significant manner, advocating the need for comprehensive spatial planning, is one of the recipient of this year’s Buonamico Award. He was instrumental in the late-1980s and 1990s in pioneering the establishment of the Planning Authority, later to be known as the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA). He spearheaded the formulation of a comprehensive Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands, Local Plans and several urban development and regeneration briefs.

Godwin was born in Valletta in 1948 and graduated as an Architect from the University of Malta in 1971. After two years in private practice, he spent thirty-five years in the public service, twelve of which were in public-sector housing development and a short spell of two-and-a-half years in roads development. Between 1987-1992 the focus of all his initiatives was the establishment of an effective up-to-date and comprehensive land-use planning system, including the development of a legislative, institutional and policy base incorporating a ‘state of the art’ national mapping function.

With the Works Department reform in 1992, he assumed the Directorship of the Planning Services Department which was subsequently hived off in October 1992 to become the Planning Authority where he was appointed Director of Planning/Chief Executive. Subsequent to the incorporation in 2000 of the then Environment Directorate within the Planning Authority which then became known as the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) he was appointed as its Director General which post he held until his retirement in 2009.

Godwin is a Chartered Town Planner and Architect and Civil Engineer by profession. He graduated as Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Malta in 1971, completed a postgraduate diploma at the Bowcentrum International Education (Rotterdam) in Housing, Planning & Building in 1975 and was a 1991 Salzburg Fellow. He was elected Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute in January 1996 and in April of the same year he was elected Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

In July 1998 he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate by the Central University of England (Birmingham). Moreover, he served as a member of several local and international committees amongst which are the Senior Committee of Officials European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT); Chairman Minerals Advisory Board; member of the National Commission for Sustainable Development; member of the Church Commission on Cultural Heritage and member of the EU expert group on Urban Environment.

Godwin is also the recipient of the Planning Authority’s 2019 President’s Award for ‘Outstanding achievement for services related to the Architectural and Spatial Planning’.

Mr. Vincent Gauci has also been awarded the prestigious Buonamico Award this year. Mr Gauci graduated in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Malta in 1967. The following year, he was awarded a World Health Organisation scholarship to read Applied Hydrobiology at the University of London. A year later, he was awarded a Masters Degree with a mark of Distinction.

Mr. Gauci started his carrier in the Public Service as a Water Bacteriologist in connection with the World Health Organisation Project on Waste Disposal and Water Supply. From 1983 to 1997, he carried out pioneer work in the field of liquid and solid waste treatment. Mr Gauci participated in several activities both locally and abroad in connection with the Mediterranean Action Plan.

As Director of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) during the period 1997 to 2002, he was responsible for biodiversity protection, pollution control and waste management. He drafted legislation, advised Government on environmental matters and formed part of official delegations in connection with Malta’s accession to the European Union. Following the merger between the EPD and the Planning Authority in 2002, Mr. Gauci was appointed Assistant Director in the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), responsible inter alia for waste management regulation and environmental impact assessment.

Following his retirement from the Public Service in 2008, Mr. Gauci acted as an environmental consultant as well as a lecturer at the University of Malta, MCAST, Water Services Corporation and Wasteserv Malta Ltd.

ERA Chairman, Prof. Victor Axiak, thanked the nominees for their invaluable contributions to the environment and their exemplary role in protecting the environment through their outstanding knowledge and commitment.

Both His Excellency Dr. George Vella, the President of Malta and Professor Victor Axiak, ERA’s Chairman, congratulated the winners and their families, whilst thanking them for their priceless efforts towards the environment and for bravely spearheading initiatives that started to bring about societal change within Malta and amongst the Maltese.

For the FB live video click here.

15 October 2022

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) approved an application for an IPPC permit for a new by-product treatment facility to reduce and reuse waste generated by the aquaculture industry.

This facility, the first of its kind in Malta, will reduce fish farms waste in Maltese waters, by processing by-products, specifically tuna offal from the harvest process, into fish meal and fish oil. Such facilities further contribute towards a circular system with minimal to zero waste generation, whilst augmenting the environmental sustainability of this important sector of Malta’s blue economy.

After the Planning Authority approved the development of this facility in March 2021, this year its operators, Aquaculture Resources Ltd, applied for the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permit required to operate it. The ERA Board approved this application during a public meeting on Friday.

The IPPC permit considers the holistic environmental performance of the installation and ascertains that the operations are undertaken in line with Best Available Techniques that are available for such operations. Furthermore, the permit takes into consideration all the aspects of the operations including emissions to air, discharges, management of waste, monitoring of operations as well as monitoring of pollutants, to make sure they are adequately managed and where applicable, mitigated.

Before determining this application, ERA consulted statutory bodies and launched a public consultation, as required by the IPPC Regulations. No objections to this application were received. All relevant documentation is publicly available on the ERA ERIS platform.

27 September 2022

New regulations declaring Il-Ponta tal-Qawra as a new nature reserve were published on Tuesday, to protect this site’s biodiversity in a coastal area popular for walking and swimming.

Through these regulations, the importance of this site’s biodiversity is being recognised. The legal framework provides the necessary protection required to preserve it for future generations.

Il-Ponta tal-Qawra, also known as Qawra Point, is a small peninsula off Qawra, in St Paul’s Bay. It is an area of ecological importance due to its coastal communities and migratory species. Its habitats include maritime plant and animal species that are native or endemic to the Maltese Islands. The area is also a major route for various waterbirds and waders, particularly due to its vicinity to protected wetlands and other important bird staging posts, including Is-Simar, Is-Salini, l-Għadira s-Safra and the Għallis Rocks, as well as the St Paul’s Islands Nature Reserve, further north. Besides its natural significance, the site also holds interesting cultural heritage features, including concentric rings carved in the rock.

The new regulations under the Environment Protection Act (Cap. 549) declare this site as a Nature Reserve, providing for the conservation of biodiversity, landscape and related natural features, while regulating and minimising any adverse impacts so that its unique natural features are duly protected and enriched. In this regard, the regulations prohibit commercial activities without permits, physical modifications to the site as well as exploitation of its wildlife, such as cutting, picking, trapping, hunting and sale of flora and fauna. As in all other nature reserves, dumping of chemical substances or waste, igniting open fires, causing excessive noise or light and releasing non-native alien species in this area is disallowed as well.

The Qawra Point peninsula, almost completely encircled by the sea, is in an area that is very popular for leisure walking and bathing. In this regard, the nature reserve will remain open to the public, provided that it is not accessed with motor vehicles. Notwithstanding such restrictions, selected activities may be allowed subject to a permit from the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA), following an appropriate assessment of potential impacts and applicable mitigation measures.

The new regulations will be implemented by the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA), with the support of the Police Force. Anyone caught infringing these new regulations will be liable to severe penalties, including fines starting from €750 or imprisonment for up to two years, depending on the type of contravention.

20 September 2022

In a public meeting on the 9th September 2022, the ERA Board approved the impact assessment reports in relation to the demolition and redevelopment of the Mellieħa Bay Hotel.

The Board noted that the development had improvements made from the initial submissions. It is confined to the area already occupied by the existing built development and its ancillary landscaping and infrastructure. Moreover, by requesting the developers to shift the development away from the coast, and additional changes, about 4,500 m2 will be restored to its original state and returned to the public, also shifting the development away from the coast, allowing for its restoration.

The approved position, and the detailed conditions tied to it, will be forwarded to the Planning Authority as ERA’s formal recommendation on the case.

9 September 2022