€7,270 ERA fines for seven waste infringements

On 27 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.