Category: Press Releases

Cheetah, a 15 year old turtle that was found at sea struggling to survive after it ingested plastic litter, was released back into the wild by the Wildlife Rehab Centre Project on Friday, following a six-month recovery.

The Wildlife Rehab Centre Project is operated by Nature Trust Malta – FEE, with the financial support of the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), which sponsors the rehabilitation of injured wildlife and works closely with the eNGO on several other environmental initiatives.

Cheetah had been found on the water surface struggling to dive on 15 December 2022. She was rescued and treated at the rehabilitation centre where she was found to be suffering from an inflamed plastron and ingested plastic. She was treated for the inflammations and has now fully recovered.

Cheetah has been happily released back into the wild today at Gnejna Bay adjacent to a new turtle nesting site.

Cheetah and the Wildlife Rehab Centre Project has found the support of several entities in her recovery process with Sacred Heart School, St Aloysious College, St Joan Antide College, Mqabba, Senglea, Siggiewi and San Gwann Primary Schools and the Green Diplomatic Network which is a local network of Green Ambassadors.

Cheetah is the first turtle released this summer following a successful rescue and recovery with another 5 turtles expected to be release later on this year. Last year 8 turtles were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

NTM President CEO Vince Attard appealed to the public to keep beaches clean and plastic free. “Plastic pollution is on the increase and is badly effecting us and marine life. We also appeal to boat owners to drive carefully as boats hit several turtles in the Maltese waters and such incidents have been noted to be on the increase”

ERA CEO, Kevin Mercieca, noted that the Authority is constantly working to safeguard Malta’s marine environments, through several initiatives, including the designation of over 35% of Maltese waters designated as Marine Protected Areas with plans to further strengthen their protection. ERA has also increased marine enforcement and monitoring of sensitive sites at sea, assuring compliance on all marine related projects.

“Moreover, ERA is also on the forefront in the EU in reducing the use of Single Use Plastics (SUPs) with a ban on the importation and sale of SUPs on the local market with further efforts being implemented up to 2030 according the Single Use Plastic Products strategy for Malta 2020-2030. This also goes hand in hand with other waste related strategies intended to reduce waste at landfills such as the mandatory waste separation for all regulations introduced in April.”

For more information, visit era.org.mt and naturetrustmalta.org.

30th June 2023

All permits are available from this link or by logging into ERIS

Decisions taken by the ERA Board in its sitting of 02/06/2023

*indicates post-decision requirements need to be submitted

Decisions taken by the Environment and Resources Directorate

The ERA Board has issued €5,600 in waste related fines for four cases which have been contested in the past few weeks.

The ERA Board confirmed the issuing waste-related fines which were contested by the responsible parties.

The fines were issued for several cases concerning waste incineration as follows:

• Case 1 was related to waste incineration that was taking place in the countryside where a fire with large plumes of black smoke was blazing whilst the mixed waste, which included documents, files and folders as well as plastic toys, was being incinerated. The responsible person was identified and instructed to clear the site of any remaining burnt debris. An administrative fine of €1,200 was issued on the contravener for incineration of waste.
• Case 2 happened in the southern part of Malta where an administrative fine of €1,400 was imposed following a find of bed springs, polystyrene and other mixed waste being incinerated, including a large, old television set which falls under WEEE waste.

The ERA Board also decided on two fines issued for waste carrier operators:

• The first fine amounting to €1,200 each, were imposed on a waste carrier who deposited only part of the collected bulky waste at a Civic Amenity Site and drove off with the remaining waste on his vehicle. This is not allowed by the relevant Waste Consignment Notes that regulate these activities.
• The second fine amounting to €600, was issued to an operator caught carrying waste without a valid waste carrier permit. ERA instructed the operator to regulate himself and apply for a permit, but he failed to do so within the stipulated timeframe. The fine was consequently imposed.

Since the beginning of the year, ERA has issued 80 fines for similar waste infringements, adding up to a total of €94,120. To date, 30 of these fines have been contested. Half of these appeals were presented before the ERA Board for its consideration, and only one was subsequently upheld. The rest of the fines were confirmed.

It is to be kept in mind that any waste storage, management – including waste incineration of waste, are illegal except if authorised by ERA under pre-set conditions. Only vegetation waste can be burnt, and only in certain areas.

26^th May 2023

The Spencer Gardens project has entered a new phase and is currently closed to the public due to health and safety reasons. The gardens are undergoing rehabilitation and embellishment works intended to create a new public garden allowing for more open, sustainable spaces with appropriate green facilities for the public.

The project includes the establishment of new gardens, with native trees and plants. The new gardens will be thematic and include different levels. The project will also see the introduction of appropriate green infrastructure, the construction of reservoirs to harvest rainwater, a new irrigation system, energy-efficient lighting powered by solar panels and sound barriers along its perimeter. Access to the garden will be improved, while new CCTV cameras will ensure added security for visitors. Spencer Gardens will also comprise a new tree nursery, which will be used to grow a local tree stock for afforestation projects.

67 additional native trees and other indigenous plants and species will be planted. The new garden is planned to be opened to the public in 2024, with many more trees and plants than there are now, to gradually establish a greener, more sustainable environment in this urban area.

The current works are intended to improve the overall ecosystem and ensure better use of resources, including water use, and the planting of more appropriate species that are better adapted to the local climate regime. This project will also serve as an example of how green infrastructures should be managed in urban areas whilst also shedding light on how we can protect biodiversity and manage invasive alien species as set out by international laws.

For health and safety reasons, access to Spencer Gardens will be temporarily closed and the public is urged to use alternative routes.

15th May 2023

All permits are available from this link or by logging into ERIS

Decisions taken by the ERA Board in its sitting of 14/04/2023

*indicates post-decision requirements need to be submitted

Decisions taken by the Environment and Resources Directorate

Separating waste at source helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed of. Properly separating waste enables more effective recycling, reducing the need for new raw materials and decreasing the environmental impact of waste disposal and landfills. It is for this reason that as of today, Friday 14th April 2023, new Regulations enforcing mandatory waste separation come into force.

The Regulations are applicable to everyone, including businesses, households, governmental and non-governmental entities and follow a nation-wide public consultation held last year.

This means that as of today, everyone is obliged to dispose of waste adequately.

To help disseminate educational information, ERA will be embarking on a six-month educational campaign. In parallel during these six months, enforcement officials will monitor the streets to ensure adherence to the regulations. Then, as of 14th October 2023, fines will also come into force. Anyone caught disposing of waste illegally will receive a warning. Repeat offenders will face fines, starting at €75 for businesses and €25 for households. These will double for repeat offenders.

ERA CEO, Mr Kevin Mercieca, said that the implementation and eventual enforcement of this legislation helps us progress from the written objectives of the national waste management plan to concrete and implementable measures on the ground.

“This is expected to deliver real change in terms of the amounts of waste the Maltese manage to effectively separate at source. Such initiatives will increase recycling and prevent significant amounts of waste from ending up in landfills,” Mr Mercieca said.

The Regulations step up Malta’s efforts in creating a stronger policy to promote more waste recycling and to drastically reduce mixed waste to landfills by 2035. Adherence to the regulations will also help improve cleanliness in residential areas and commercial districts and discourage irregular dumping of waste bags in public areas.

Similarly, they seek to support Malta’s efforts in reducing the use of landfills. Currently, 90% of Malta’s municipal waste ends up in landfills, against the 2035 target of 10%.

ERA encourages everyone to do their part and dispose of waste properly: separation is easy.

For more information visit era.org.mt and wsm.com.mt

14 April 2023