The recovery of clean inert waste in quarries is regulated through the Environmental Protection Act (CAP 549) under Subsidiary Legislation 549.50 – Waste Management (Management of Waste from Extractive Industries and Backfilling). Other activities within quarries such as the recycling of inert waste are regulated by the Subsidiary Legislation 549.63, the Waste Regulations. Prior to this legislation, a number of quarries were permitted for backfilling operations pursuant to Subsidiary Legislation 549.07, whereby clean inert waste is recycled and/or backfilled.
The waste that is authorised to enter at these sites is solely restricted to the following:
| EWC Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 01 01 02 | Waste from mineral non metalliferous excavation |
| 01 04 08 | Waste gravel and crushed rocks except those mentioned in 01 04 07 (wastes containing dangerous substances from physical or chemical processing of non-metalliferous minerals) |
| 01 04 09 | Waste sand and clays |
| 01 04 13 | Wastes from stone cutting and sawing except those mentioned in 01 04 07 |
| 17 01 01 | Concrete |
| 17 01 02 | Bricks |
| 17 01 03 | Tiles and ceramics |
| 17 01 07 | Mixtures of concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics other those mentioned in 17 01 06 |
| 17 02 02 | Glass |
| 17 05 04 | Soil and stones (Excluding topsoil, peat; excluding soil and stones from contaminated sites) |
Definitions
Excavation Waste: Waste that originates from rock excavation. This waste should be free of soil, trees, shrubs or any other agricultural content.
Construction & Demolition Waste: Waste that originates from the construction & demolition of structures. This waste is to consist of stone slabs and concrete planks or concrete beams only and should not contain any other waste type such as aluminium, wood or iron apertures, pieces of clothing, furniture, household goods, mattresses or any other waste.
All quarries carrying out backfilling operations and/or inert waste recycling operations are required to apply for an environmental permit to comply with the relevant regulations above.
Applications may be submitted through the ERIS System which may be accessed from here.
Should you require further information, kindly contact the Environmental Permitting Unit on https://era.org.mt/contact/ or Telephone No 2292 3500.
Last Updated: 07/09/2020