9th February 2019 – During a meeting organised by the Malta Developers Association (MDA), addressed by the Minister for Environment Hon. Hose Herrera and MDA President Sandro Chetcuti, it was agreed that for the coming eighteen months, the price for disposal of construction waste delivered to landfill quarries will be fixed at no higher than €8+VAT per tonne.
The minister announced that this is being done to avoid stifling the economy with unjustified price increases and with immediate effect, the cost of waste disposal will not keep increasing with exaggerated amounts as was recently being rumoured. He also insisted that he may be forced to resort to any other measures at his disposal, if genuine co-operation from the quarry operators is not forthcoming.
In the same meeting, Sandro Chetcuti explained how once again, an agreement has been reached with the Government so that 10% withholding tax will be extended on this fixed price. He appealed to the Government to work towards finding alternative solutions to this situation by opening more quarries for construction waste disposal and to give a clear direction on land reclamation.
The frequent compliant from demolition and excavation operators on the limited operating hours of the waste disposal quarries was also addressed by extending the opening hours to 6.30am to 3.45pm. During the meeting, Hon. Herrera had the opportunity to better understand the situation, listening and interacting directly with feedback from those present.
