Engineered landfills.

Abstract

Each year considerable amounts of solid waste are produced in the Maltese Islands; about 150,000 tonnes of household waste, another 92,000 tonnes of waste coming from industrial and other commercial activities and yet another 956,000 tonnes of waste generated by the construction industry. Evidently these quantities are growing from year to year. There have been great changes in our everyday life over the last years. Social and economic progress as well as technological and industrial progress have all had an impact on and significantly contributed to these changes. One such change has been our consumption patterns; and this resulted in a marked effect on the quantity, quality, and nature of waste products. Everybody must recognise that waste has a value attached to it. Disposing of a product at the end of its life can often mean missing a chance whereby the product can be usefully put back in production and enter the commercial cycle again. This is a major key step towards the realisation of sustainable development. Uncontrolled and unmanaged waste can be a threat both to our health and to the environment. It is thus important that we need a radical change in the way we think about

and manage waste. Proper management of solid waste should be a key priority task if we are to make further progress towards sustainable development. The aim of this dissertation is to give a general picture about waste generation in the Maltese Islands. This includes the history as well as the current situation and also future plans which regards this important aspect of our everyday life. Furthermore this dissertation will overview various waste technologies available at this point in time and analyse the proposed engineered landfill at Ghallies ta' Gewwa.